Miraculous Justice: The Tales of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and More
by riptidedarkphoenix
Summary: The Justice League didn't think the idea of two untrained, unsupervised, super-powered teens running around the major city of Paris was a good one. So they "invite" Ladybug and Chat Noir to train with the Young Justice Team. Despite secret identities and awkward romance, things seem to go pretty well... Until somebody throws an Akuma and a couple of meta-humans into the mix.
1. Trouble In Paris?

Seven heroes sat in a huge conference room around an oaken table with the letters "JLA" ingrained on its surface. Despite the obviously formal nature of the room, its inhabitants appeared as anything but. A host of brightly colored, spangled, skintight, leotard-wearing adults lounged about the conference room looking surprisingly solemn.

Regardless of the attire of its members, the justice league took the safety of the world and… well, justice, very seriously. At that moment, there was a very large threat to world safety: the founders of the Justice League were deep in conversation over two certain french heroes.

"Let me get this straight, two super powered teenagers have been running around France fighting villains for six months, and you choose to do something about this NOW?!" Superman asked in awe.

Wonder Woman nodded in response. She had taken point at this meeting, and was now rather regretting it from the way the other members of the league stared at her incredulously.

"Recently, many untrained meta-humans have adopted superhero personas to stop petty crimes and occasionally super powered villains. But these two children stop superhuman attacks from destroying Paris every other week." The female symbol of justice attempted to explain in a calm and reasonable manner.

It was hard to do with several extremely powerful beings staring at you like you had lost your marbles.

"Yes, but the rate of super powered crimes in Paris has skyrocketed since the appearances of Chat Noir and Ladybug." Martian Man-hunter chipped in.

Wonder Woman sent the alien hero a glare; she did not need him making things harder for her.

"Ladybug? What kind of name is that?" Flash snickered under his breath.

Man-hunter ignored the speedster and picked up a piece of futuristic-looking equipment and holograms of Chat Noir and Ladybug appeared in the center of the room.

The two heroes were in mid-run, as if dashing to the scene of a crime. Uncomfortably, most of the heroes in the room also noticed that the parisian heroes looked rather young- teenagers perhaps.

"So are these heroes a result of the crime spree, or is the crime spree a result of the two heroes?" Green Lantern asked sagely, with a pointed look at Wonder Woman.

"We don't know." Replied Batman as Wonder Woman sent him an help-me-explain-this-right-now look. "However, most of the villains are civilians that were 'Akumatized.' Apparently it is similar to possession."

"Akumatized?" Asked Superman in disbelief.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir seem to have a way to cure these villains of their evil motives and reverse any destruction they cause. This is a power Ladybug has." Wonder Woman instructed her colleagues.

The holographic image changed to a shaky video of Ladybug throwing a red and black spotted object into the air, reversing all the damage in the area. As she did so, she yelled

"Miraculous ladybug!" In a strong french accent.

Mircaulously, a pink light flooded the streets. When it receded, all noticeable damage had disappeared. Citizens cheered as Ladybug gave a wave and used her yoyo to swing out of the camera's point of view.

"Man, I wish I had that power!" Declared the Flash wistfully.

The rest of the league members chuckled.

"No seriously! I would never get in trouble with Central City when a super villain destroys half the city property again!"

"It seems that these kids don't need our help. So why bring this up now?" Superman asked Wonder Woman.

"They are still children. Perhaps talented and fairly experienced in their homeland of Paris, but they have never had anyone to train them; that much seems obvious. They might slip up eventually." Wonder Woman replied, emphasizing the words "slip up."

The room quieted as each member imagined what the two children could achieve if they turned to the side of evil.

"So what do we do about them?" Asked Green Lantern, voicing the question on everybody's mind.

"We could recruit them." Said Aquaman, who had been silent up to that point. "Offer them a place on the Justice League."

Wonder Woman shook her head.

"I do not doubt that they are qualified, but they are still children, and guardians of Paris, not America." She said.

"I have a better idea. We offer them a chance to train with the Team." Batman suggested.

No further explanation was needed. They all knew what "team" he was talking about.

"But-" Green Lantern started.

"It would be good for them to train with other heroes their age." Batman continued, cutting the other hero off.

"What if Ladybug and Chat Noir do not want to come to America? What if you can not find them? Paris is a very large city." Aquaman questioned.

"Just leave all that to me." Batman said as he stood up, signaling that the meeting had come to an end. "I've been wanting to practice my French."


	2. Another Wack Job in an Animal Suit?

"Pound it!"

The two french teens bumped fists as swirling pink magic swept through Paris, healing the battle-scarred city. Overturned cars magically righted themselves while crumbling buildings reconstructed themselves to their former glory.

One of the teens, a girl dressed in a tight red and black suit knelt down next to a civilian who was lying on the ground.

The civilian was slowly returning to consciousness after being freed from an Akuma.

"Ladybug? Where am I?" Asked the civilian in a frightened voice.

"You were akumatized. But it's alright, we saved you before you could hurt anyone." Ladybug replied.

"Thank you Ladybug!" The civilian cried gratefully.

"I was here too." Added the other teen, a young man dressed in a black cat-themed costume.

The civilian quickly got to his feet, and headed down the street looking dazed. Chat Noir and Ladybug knew he would be fine. Akumtization happened so often in Paris that it would be strange to know someone who HAD'NT been Akumatized.

Avoiding the swarming reporters, the teenage duo acrobatically swung and jumped their way to the nearest rooftop where they continued their conversation.

"Admit it, m'lady. I don't get enough a-purr-itiation."

Chat Noir grinned cheekily as he tried to throw a hand around his partner's shoulders. Ladybug dodged him and gave him a little push, snickering when he lost his balance.

"Not as long as you puns are so lame!"

The two bantered playfully, unaware of the dark figure approaching them.

"Paris's heroes. Very… Impressive." Came a gruff voice that spoke fluently in French despite it's American accent.

Chat Noir and Ladybug's heads snapped instantly towards the sound of the voice. The voice belonged to a tall, dark, brooding man whose identity was concealed by a bat costume.

The two teens stiffened.

"Great. Another person in an animal suit. What are you supposed to be?" Chat said sarcastically.

"Chat. It's B-Batman. BATMAN." Ladybug's usual confidence temporarily deserted her in the face of this imposing hero.

Ladybug kept up on superhero news (she was one, after all) and she knew that Batman was regarded as a hero by some, but as a dangerous vigilante, or even a villain, by others.

"Do you know who the Justice League is? Even though you have kept all your super-activities limited to Paris, The Justice League have been keeping an eye on you two." Batman told the teenagers.

"But we're heroes- just like you." Ladybug insisted, regaining her composure.

"Young and untrained heroes." Batman replied without a hint of hesitation.

At that moment, Ladybug's earring and Chat Noir's ring beeped in unison, reminding the duo that they had used up their powers and would transform back to normal soon.

"Listen Batman- er- , we gotta split. Secret identities and all that." Chat said.

Ladybug nodded in agreement and the two were about to spring off the rooftops when Batman said,

"I already know your secret identities."

That stopped the teen heroes in their tracks.

"Ahem… WHAT?!" Yelled Chat, while Ladybug gaped in surprise.

Batman simply replied stoically,

"It wasn't that hard; I'm the world's greatest detective. But your private lives aren't why I'm here. I have an… offer… for you two."

 **I have often wished for this to become a reality. Now it is.**


	3. Akuma? or Martian?

Chat Noir and Ladybug appeared in the zeta tube directly after Batman. They went from an alley in Paris France to a huge room located inside a mountain in America in seconds.

Marinette wished she could learn more about the Zeta tubes. They were seriously cool. She glanced over a Chat, who was trying to look nonchalant, but was actually super excited to be visiting America. Still, Marinette on the other hand, was a little more worried.

She had rarely travelled outside of France in her short life, and had certainly never left the country to train with other superheroes. Much less by Zeta tube.

She fidgeted with her yo-yo, resisting the urge to spin it.

"So, I can get home through these tubes whenever I need to?" Ladybug asked Batman again.

Batman, emotionless as ever, simply replied,

"Yes."

Marinette had only agreed to visit America because Batman had promised her that she could get home at the first sign of an Akuma attack. Chat came because he was promised that it would be fun. Also, Camembert.

The blond teen had actually grown fond of the stuff, though not nearly as much as Plagg. Marinette partially thought that Batman was bluffing about their secret identities, because he had not yet provided them with any evidence that he "knew." Still, the possibility that he did was enough to get Ladybug and Chat Noir to agree to come train in America with his "special team."

The two teen heroes had also made the condition that their secret identities would never be revealed to anyone, and that they would have ample privacy (and Camembert) in case they wore out their powers.

And so, the two teens were following Batman into a huge room located inside a mountain on the East coast of America.

The room was surprising large and well furnished. But it was also empty. Chat and Ladybug looked around, a little confused.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a green-skinned girl appeared.

She said something in a language that Ladybug did not understand, and Batman replied in kind.

Ladybug's and Chat's first thought was

'AKUMA!'

But the green-skinned girl did not attack, instead, she raised her hand while her eyes glowed a gentle green. Suddenly, Ladybug and Chat understood what she was saying.

"Hi I'm Miss Martian! Welcome to America! I'll be your mental translator while you are staying her!" She said brightly.

"Clawsome! I'm Chat Noir!" Chat said suavely, winking one of his green cat eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ladybug." Ladybug replied politely, trying to make her smile as big as Miss Martian's.

Chat turned around to ask Batman a question, but the brooding adult was already gone. Sensing Chat's confusion, Miss Martian said,

"Yeah, he does that sometimes. So does his former sideki- I mean, Partner. You'll get used to it."

Miss Martian began to hover of the ground, making both Ladybug and Chat Noir stare a little bit.

"Let me introduce you guys to the rest of the team!" She said, and she flew through nearby doorway. Chat and Ladybug exchanged a glance and followed their tour guide.


	4. So pigeons? Really? PIGEONS?

Night Wing was a little concerned about introducing two new heroes to his team. He knew that adding new gears to an already well-oiled machine could be a recipe for disaster. Batman had also said to give the strangers their privacy, which Night Wing could understand. The problem was, some of the younger team members, namely Beast Boy, Impulse, and Robin, did NOT understand the concept of privacy.

Miss Martian (literally) flew into the room saying loudly,

"This is the Team! Team, meet Ladybug and Chat Noir, Paris's resident superheroes."

Miss Martian introduced the two french teenagers to her friends.

Ladybug did her best to seem confident, while Chat Noir struck a pose like a model and winked at Zatanna and Wonder Girl.

"Bonjour ladies." he said.

Almost the entire Young Justice team was present, including Aqualad, Kid Flash, NightWing, Robin, Impulse, Superboy, Beast Boy and many other teen heroes.

Chat launched himself directly into conversation with Impulse and Robin, while Marinette attempted polite small talk with Night Wing.

"There sure are a lot of people here." She said nervously, thinking of when she would inevitably have to change back to plain old Marinette.

"Very few actually live here." Night Wing assured the younger girl. "But most of them do come to training sessions and mission briefings."

"Although Chat Noir is my partner, I only see him when we patrol, or when we are actually fighting. We don't ever train, or see each other in many social situations (unless it's talking to the press)."

Ladybug thought of how she spent long nights prowling the streets with Chat, and caught Akumas with him on a weekly basis. But she had never seen him interact with others like he was now.

Chat was currently telling Robin every embarrassing story about Ladybug that he knew.

"And after I stole the yo-yo, she totally fell off the rooftop and landed upside down-"

"Chat!" Hissed Ladybug, "You don't need to tell them about that!"

"It's hilarious, bugaboo! Of course I'm going to tell them about how adorable you were trying to patrol without your magic yo-yo!"

"Well, if you're going to tell them that silly story," said Ladybug with a smile, " i suppose I'll tell them about our encounters with Mr. Pigeon."

Ladybug had the attention of the entire room.

"Mr. Pigeon?" snickered Impulse, "Is that some kind of pet?"

"You would think a super villain whose name is would be easy to defeat...But when a certain cat is allergic to birds, well, it was far from easy." Ladybug said.

"Dude, you're allergic to birds? But you're a cat." Laughed Impulse as he elbowed Chat in the side. Chat Noir bristled.

"I am allergic to FEATHERS, because I have a very sensitive nose!" he claimed loudly..

Ladybug just laughed along with the rest of the team.

"Every time we would sneak up on Mr. Pigeon and his feathered friends, Chat would do the cutest little cat sneeze and ruin our plan!"

The Beast Boy transformed immediately into a pigeon and the Young Justice team roared with laughter while Chat sneezed and made a "grumpy-cat" face.

"But eventually, we found a way to defeat Mr. Pigeon, feathers and all."

Night Wing smiled. Ladybug and Chat Noir would do just fine.


	5. No Matter HOW Flirty?

Marinette was not used to waking up early; she was consistently late to class everyday at her french school.

But at 5:00 AM a knock on Marinette's door pulled her out of her slumber.

"M'lady? Are you awake?"

For a second, Marinette forgot where she was. Then she remembered everything that had happened the previous night. Her arrival in America, meeting the American heroes, Chat telling ridiculous tales about their adventures all night long…

Chat! He was standing outside her door at that moment.

"Night Wing says training starts in 10 minutes!" Chat Noir was standing outside her door, and Marinette had her pajamas on. She better transform back into Ladybug before leaving the room!

"One second!" She called nervously, scrambling about the unfamiliar room fruitlessly.

Gently, she grabbed Tikki, who was sleeping on the desk.

"Tikki, we need to transform... Do you have enough energy?"

Tikki nodded wearily, shaking the sleep from her tiny body as she rose into the air.

"I can sustain the transformation for most of today if you don't use your special power." Tikki said in her squeaky voice.

"Of course. Tikki Spots on!"

After the transformation, she promptly attempted to pull a brush through her pigtails (apparently even kwami magic couldn't fix bedhead) before giving up on appearances and throwing open the door.

...

As Chat waited outside Ladybug's room he didn't hear most of what she said. The only clear thing he caught was,

"Tikki, spots on!"

Red and pink lights flashed from the crack underneath the door.

The phrase sounded familiar to Chat, not to mention the flashing light show that seemed to suddenly come from Ladybug's room.

' _Tikki. So that's her Kwami's name.'_ Chat Noir, aka Adrien, thought to himself, putting two and two together.

Unexpectedly, disappointment raced through Chat's mind. He hadn't been intending to snoop, he wouldn't have known what "Tikki" was if Ladybug had not literally shouted "Tikki, spots on!" Chat had always hoped that he and Ladybug would one day share their secrets face to face, as equals. No more hiding or subterfuge. It would be a great gesture of trust on both their parts. Even, perhaps, a gesture of love...

Adrien had a thing for Ladybug (and that was putting it lightly), but she never returned his affections. Ladybug saw him as a co-worker, partner, and friend, but definitely not a love interest. NO matter how flirtatious Chat Noir was.

And Chat Noir could be plenty flirtatious when he wanted to be.

Still, the golden haired hero was elated to think that he would get to spend time with his bugaboo doing something other than fighting for their lives. This would be a good exercise in trust-building and communication. She might even reveal her secret identity to him.

That would be the ultimate sign of trust.

Interrupting his thoughts, Ladybug opened the door dressed in her red and black spotted leotard and mask. She looked as beautiful as ever- not that she could somehow look un-beautiful in Chat's eyes. He immediately forgot his disappointment. Yawning gracefully Ladybug said,

"Good morning, Chat."

' _The words of an angel.'_ Chat thought blissfully.

"Good morning to you as well, my lady." He replied smoothly, attempting to put as much charm into the sentence as he could.

Grinning cockily, he stepped forward to grab her hand and bring it to his lips gently. Ladybug simply rolled her eyes at the superfluous gesture and grumbled,

"It's too early for this."

The heroine (not as gently) wrenched her hand away and headed out the door as the love-stricken boy followed, acting more like a puppy than a cat.

As the duo headed to early morning training with the Young Justice team, Chat eventually got his mind off of Ladybug's refusal to accept him as her soul mate and reflected that he did not really know what to expect. In Paris, the two heroes had never had the luxury of being trained or taught how to defend themselves.

When they arrived at the gym (these American heroes had their own gym and locker rooms!), they realized it consisted of a few other heroes including Beast Boy, Miss Martian, Superboy, Kid Flash standing around complaining about how much they disliked early morning training.

"UGH! I hate these practices! Whined Beast Boy, one of the few heroes who actually lived at Mt. Justice. The other teen heroes groaned in agreement.

At that moment, a tall blond with a luscious figure and the black leotard to show it off marched into the room.

"I'm Black Canary, your fighting instructor. Anyone who complains about my class can join me for an evening session tonight."

The room went dead quiet. Black Canary nodded curtly to Ladybug and Chat Noir as if she saw them everyday.

"Alright, let's begin with basic combat simulations. Ladybug, Chat Noir, you're up first."


	6. Secret Identities Revealed?

A little surprised, but still willing to participate, Ladybug stepped into the ring with Black Canary. The "Ring" was really more of a raised platform in the middle of the room that the other students/teen heroes crowded around.

Black Canary raised her fists and Ladybug unclipped her yo-yo from her belt, spinning it lazily.

She waited for Black Canary to make the first move, which was a punch aimed for Ladybug's face. Ladybug dodged easily, but Black Canary was expecting it and tried to use the distraction to sweep Ladybug's feet from underneath her. Ladybug reacted with inhuman speed, doing a back-handspring gracefully away from her opponent.

The two women sized each other up once as they began to circle again. With lightning speed the two began to exchange blows. Black Canary was far superior in terms of technique and skill, but Ladybug's speed, reflexes, and strength made up for it.

The other teen heroes watched in awe as the two female heroes moved almost too fast for the others to follow.

"Wow." Said Kid Flash in wonder.

"I know." Said Chat Noir as Ladybug perfectly executed a perfect standing handspring tuck while dodging numerous kicks and blows.

As the minutes passed, the fighting got more and more intense, and Ladybug began to rely on her yo-yo to deflect attacks.

Finally, Black Canary was able to catch the yo-yo effectively disarming Ladybug, who looked a little shocked that she had been stripped of her only weapon. Using the shock, Black Canary managed to get in a good kick that sent Ladybug to her knees.

"That's all for now, Ladybug." Black Canary said, helping the winded teen hero to her feet.

"I can't believe you got a hold of my yo-yo so effortlessly!" Committed Ladybug.

Black Canary wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"It wasn't that effortless." She replied. "Next, I want Beast Boy up here."

Beast Boy took the stage, and Ladybug joined the other students who crowded around her, gaping in awe.

"That was so cool!" Said Kid Flash

"No one's ever lasted that long the first time!" Robin said excitedly.

The rest of the combat training went well. Chat Noir didn't last as long as Ladybug, but still did well for a first-timer. When combat training was over, weapons training began.

Since the yo-yo wasn't really used as a weapon, Ladybug did not participate as much.

Chat Noir, however, was a different story. He tried sparring with Night Wing on the bo staff, but the wooden training one that Night Wing gave him to use just didn't feel right.

Night Wing disarmed him rather quickly, something Chat wasn't happy with.

"Paw-lease! I'm not used to fighting with this!" he complained.

Night Wing frowned.

"So what happens when you staff is broken or knocked away during a fight?"

Chat scoffed.

"That never happens."

"Yes it does." Sang Ladybug, who was watching the two train. "It happens all the time."

"Let me use my normal staff." Begged Cat Noir.

He eventually got Night Wing to agree. Once he was using his familiar weapon, his confidence and skills seemed to increase. Night Wing was having more difficulty defeating his opponent. He also noticed that Chat Noir wasn't really using his staff right.

During a break he asked,

"Chat, do you know how to fence?"

Chat visibly stiffened and laughed uneasily.

"Umm, Why would you say that?"

"Well, some of your attacks seem more like fencing, and would probably work better with a sword."

"Yeah. I fence a little." Chat said nonchalantly.

Ladybug knew her partner, perhaps too well. His easy tone of voice was hiding discomfort-perhaps fencing had hit to close to home.

Ladybug only knew one person who took fencing classes. And went to her school, and was always disappearing mysteriously, and had blond hair and green eyes, and was allergic to pigeons.

"No…" she muttered under her breath, studying Cat Noir in a new light. "It couldn't be. Adrien?"

Chat Noir twitched instinctively, glancing in Ladybug's direction, but not looking at her.

Almost as if he was responding to his name. Ladybug felt sick. Turning almost as red as her costume, she mumbled something about using the bathroom, then dashed into the girl's locker room, which was empty. Collapsing against the wall, she transformed back into Marinette.

"Tikki, is even remotely possible that…" She began shakily.

Tikki just facepalmed.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out." She said, her tiny voice dripping sarcasm.

Marinette began to pace back and forth, hyperventilating. Suddenly, every interaction that she had ever had with Chat or Adrien made more sense. The time when Chat didn't want Ladybug to check on Adrien after an akuma attack. The way the two would never been seen together, despite the fact that both Chat Noir and Ladybug had visited the school several times.

"This can't be possible! Chat is so annoying, and, funny, and sarcastic but Adrian is so perfectly dreamy!" Marinette said the last part with a starry-eyed sigh.

"Maybe you were just blinded by your crush on Adrien! If he was anyone else you would have figured it out, but when things come to Adrien-er, Chat, you do go a little Cuckoo."

Tikki somehow found a chocolate chip cookie in Marinettes bag and started devouring it. Marinette groaned.

"It sounds soooo weird to use Chat Noir and Adrien interchangeably."

"But is this really a BAD thing?" Tikki asked. "All this means is that you're closer to Adrien than you thought. And you see him every night in skin tight black leather."

Marinette blushed. Chat was very attractive. She might have noticed him a little more and even returned some of his advances if she wasn't so dead set on Adrien.

"I've been rejecting Adrien, every time I rejected Chat." Marinette realized verbally, her eyes wide.

Almost to the point of unconsciousness, Marinette sank to the floor.


	7. A Teenage Bat Equals Trouble?

Even during training, Batgirl remained intensely focused. It was something she put a lot of work and training into, unlike Wally, who had an attention span of 0.3 milliseconds (yes, she did time how long it takes for him to get distracted). However, Batgirl also remained alert.

While the other teen heroes were observing Night Wing and and Chat Noir duel, Batgirl noticed as Ladybug suddenly reacted in shock to Night Wing and Chat Noir's conversations about fencing.

The french heroine turned as red as a tomato and stumbled towards the past Batgirl.

"Are you alright?" The redhead asked.

"I have to...restroom." Ladybug mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Batgirl.

The french heroine quickly disappeared into the bathroom without anybody else noticing. Batgirl wondered was wrong with Ladybug, after all, the petite girl usually seemed confident and amiable.

Batgirl began to walk towards the bathroom as well, wondering if she should try to approach Ladybug again, or if she should just spy on her from the dark corners of the lockerroom.

' _Wow. I think like a stalker.'_ Batgirl thought in mild amusment. ' _I blame Batman.'_

A very small part of Batgirl questioned if she should be poking her nose into other people's business. The instincts that Batman had drilled into her over time and through training crushed that thought in one fell swoop.

She was a bat.

That meant that she would always poke her nose into other people's business.

Batgirl glanced inside the locker room, barely noticeable to an unaware observer. She was shocked to see a civilian passed out against the lockers.

But this civilian looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, even without the red and black spotted leotard, Batgirl could tell that it was Ladybug.

It didn't take the world's greatest detective to figure out that.

Ladybug (or her alter ego at least) was lying senseless on the floor, but she was dressed in the clothes that a typical teenage girl might wear.

Batgirl wondered what had brought about these circumstances, but she didn't have time to do much more **;** Ladybug began to stir. She must have only been unconscious for a couple of seconds.

The Bat training kicked in again.

Batgirl ducked into the bathroom and closed the door quietly behind her, but she listened carefully to what was happening in the locker room.

There was a slight rustle of fabric and a groan. Ladybug had woken and was standing up.

A shriek of surprise pierced the bathroom door. Almost as if she hadn't expected to wake up in a locker room in her civvies.

"I can't believe that Chat…I've had a crush on him for...UGH...well, he is kinda cute.." Ladybug trailed off. Not finishing the sentence.

Batgirl smiled. So it was boy troubles that were eating away at Ladybug's mind. She could sympathize with that. Batgirl had gone through a boy-crazy phase. It wasn't fun for any of the boys, especially with Batman going all protective-dad mode on every date.

Still, Batgirl could see why Ladybug could get so worked up over Chat Noir.

That guy was F-I-N-E!

Still, it was obvious to all the girls on the Young Justice Team that Chat only had eyes for one lady.

It was also obvious that Ladybug was fairly clueless.

Batgirl was glad that she was herself mostly past that awkward stage where she constantly obsessed about boys...

Mostly.

Kind of.

Almost.

Nah, not really.

"Tikki, how long have I been asleep?" came Ladybug's voice.

To Batgirls surprise, a squeaky sounding high-pitched voice responded.

"Not to long. But you better transform before that other girl comes by again."

' _'What! I was sure there wasn't anyone on there with me!'_ Batgirl thought in shock.

She dared to open the bathroom door just enough to peek. Ladybug was alone in the bathroom. Then, a brief flash of red caught Batgirl's eye. It hovered over Ladybug's shoulder before disappearing in a little red blur.

' _'Is that some kind of bug? A ladybug maybe?'_ Batgirl thought.

"Tikki, spots on!" Ladybug yelled.

Instantly, Batgirl was nearly blinded by flashes of red and pink. Before her eyes, The Ladybug costume appeared and the french heroine struck a pose.

Batgirl was struck by the Showy-ness of it all. The sequence looked like something one would see in a children's cartoon. Did Ladybug have the power to do a dance and magically make her outfit appear? Hardly a practical ability for fighting crime.

Batgirl looked down at the black and yellow bat emblem on her chest.

' _'Who am I to judge Ladybug's choice of catchphrase or powers?'_ she thought with a mental sigh. ' _'At least Ladybug has powers.'_

Ladybug darted out of the locker room, not even noticing her observer.

That's what Batgirl had trained to do- not be noticed by any observer.

Batgirl stealthily left the bathroom, and passed through the locker room without a trace. Rejoining the weapons training, she doubted that anyone had noticed her stealthy disappearance.

Batgirl decided that there were powers she didn't understand at play. And she was curious as to what those powers were.

But despite the Bat training, Batgirl was more interested in Ladybug's obviously over complicated love life.

The most interesting romantic tension on the Team was between Conner and M'gann (who everyone knew would get back together eventually).

So Batgirl was excited to see a new romance blossoming in the shadows of Mt. Justice.

The thought from earlier from came unbidden once again-

' _'I really shouldn't be poking my nose into this stranger's business.'_

But this time, it was the teenage girl inside her that ignored that thought!

 **Author's note: Hey guys! I didn't edit this chapter because I was really busy. If there are any mistakes I will be sure to fix them later, but I really wanted to get this up.**

 **To all the people who are following and liking this story, thank you! I am whelmed by the positive reactions to this story!**

 **A shout out to a friend mine, who is turning 17.**

 **HAPPY B-DAY!**


	8. Please do not feed the wildlife?

**When French people talk to each other in only French scenes, it will be normal text, like the conversation the Hawkmoth and Mr. Pidgeon have.**

 **When French people talk to each other in the presence of English speakers/Americans, it will be in italics.**

A tall man in an overcoat was throwing breadcrumbs to the birds.

"Feed the birds…" He crooned softly under his breath.

His eyes scanned the park and came to rest on a small fledgling pigeon that was yet had fallen from its roost.

"Poor thing…" He crooned.

"Sir, could you please refrain from handling the wildlife." A park ranger walked up with a look of stern disapproval on her face. "If you encounter any wildlife you can call animal control and we'll deal with it."

The ranger, a woman in her thirties with curly red hair tucked neatly into a bun attempted to gently take the baby bird out of the man's hands.

"NO! My Precious!" The man screamed, shaking his bird call in the air.

The ranger backed away, carefully cradling the baby bird while reaching for her walkie talkie.

"We have another crazy wandering around the park agitating wildlife."

Somewhere in a dark layer, A bright window opened, sending a shaft of light cutting into the gloomy darkness.

"Yes…" Said Hawkmoth evilly. "Another soul to warp beyond recognition over a petty frustration. Fly, Akuma!"

A glowing purple butterfly found its way into the man's birdcall, and a glowing moth-shaped mask simultaneously appeared around Hawkmoth's and 's faces.

"Oh. It's you again." Hawkmoth said, his evil smile losing it's edge and his normally sinister voice becoming bored. "I guess you can go on a pigeon-themed rampage if you want."

"KUROOO KROO!" Screamed .

"Just steal some jewelry from some children. You know the drill." Said Hawkmoth, already guessing how this was most likely to turn out.

In Happy Harbor, America, a painfully loud alarm went off in the middle of a practice session that was happening inside of Mt. Justice. Chat looked up from his sparring match, and Night Wing instantly bolted to the computer.

Ladybug had just exited the locker room as the alarm went off. Chat noted that she looked frightened and disheveled, not like the usual confident partner he knew.

The blaring siren died down as Night Wing started pulling up images of Paris, France.

"What's going on?"

"Is that the villain alarm?" Beast Boy asked excitedly. "Who is it this time?"

"Maybe it's a French villain." Aqualad pointed out.

"Five bucks says it's the metahuman alert system." Bet Kid Flash as the teen heroes crowded around Night Wing and the holographic computer screen.

"You're wrong KF. It's the Chat-Noir-and-Ladybug-need-to-go-fight-a-supervillain-alarm."

"An Akuma attack?!" Chat asked nervously.

"A puma?" Asked Impulse in confusion.

"Akuma." corrected Night Wing." They are a small moth with the abilities to give people superpowers, but usually only when people are frustrated or experiencing high levels of negative emotions."

"It is the kind of villain that we usually fight, if we aren't stopping petty crimes." Supplied Ladybug, "We do not have many metahumans in France."

Night Wing gestured towards the zeta tubes.

"I've set it to take you to Paris, France. Go save the day."

The Young Justice team cheered as Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded in gratitude before streaking over to the zeta tube to disappear in a matter of seconds.

"You know, it would be rude to continue practice with out them." Beast Boy commented as soon as they the two French heros had left.

"This would be a good opportunity to see our new friends in action." smirked Black Canary.

"FIELD TRIP!" Screamed Kid Flash and Impulse in unison as the two bolted into the zeta tube.

"Wait, I didn't say you could just-" Night Wing tried to object, but the rest of the trainees and heroes all rushed over to the zeta tubes as well.

Night Wing sighed when he saw his failure and gave an un-amused eyebrow to Black Canary.

"You go ahead, Night Wing, I'll hold down the fort." she smiled, "Keep an eye on them and make sure they all get back in one piece."

Night Wing hopped through the zeta tube, following his teammates.

There was a flash of light, and as Night Wing stepped through the zeta beam he felt immediately sun was in a different position than it should have been. In the background he heard the sounds of people speaking French, not English. He walked out of the alley he had appeared in and followed a massive trail of destruction.

Not "destruction" as in overturned flaming cars or destroyed buildings, but the disaster that only an army of French pigeons with diarrhea could cause.

The trail of bird excrement and feathers lead to deep into the city where Night Wing found the last thing he expected to see.

Chat Noir, and Ladybug, trying to fight their way out of a hurricane of angry grey birds.

" _Je vais gouverner le monde !"_ a man in a pigeon suit exclaimed as he flew through the air.

" _Pourquoi êtes-vous obsédé par les pigeons ?"_ Chat Noir replied in French, sounding rather exasperated. Maybe it's because he was sneezing rapidly.

himself was not actually flying, but was riding on top of a swarm of the little grey birds who had assumed a formation akin to that of a hot air balloon.

Chat Noir was nimbly dodging through the air, jumping from bird to bird and occasionally sneezing. Ladybug was spinning her yo-yo so fast it was nothing but a glowing red blur that knocked birds from the sky.

" _Arrêtez cette folie , M. Pidgeon . Ils ne sont que des oiseaux ."_ Ladybug tried to reason with Mr. Pidgeon, but a pigeon aimed straight for her stomach, knocking her off her feet, and off of the rooftop she was standing on.

Recovering quickly, she used her yo-yo to like a grappling hook to swing through the air to saftey.

"This is so awesome!" An American accent shouted.

Night Wing did a double take when he saw his American teammates sitting on a bench, holding popcorn and croissants, and watching the battle like a they would a TV show.

"Night Wing, you're here! You missed the beginning. It was really good!" shouted Impulse happily, as if he were greeting his friend at the movies.

"Do you want some popcorn?" Beast Boy asked, holding up a bag of the delicious crunchy snack.

Night Wing nodded mutely, took the bag and sat down on a relatively pidgeon free spot.

"I didn't think that there was actually a pigeon supervillain." he mumbled as he watched the show.

 **AN: I have an obsession with Mr. PIGEON Is that a bad thing? I think not.**

" **Je vais gouverner le monde !"**

 **I will rule the world**

" **Pourquoi êtes-vous obsédé par les pigeons ?"**

 **Why are you obsessed with the pigeons?**

" **Arrêtez cette folie , M. Pidgeon . Ils ne sont que des oiseaux ."**

 **Stop this madness Mr. Pigeon. They are just birds.**

 **I'm sorry If I butchered the french.**


	9. She Loves Me? She Loves Me Not?

Chat Noir nimbly dodged as another pigeon flew past his face, squawking in anger. His nose was running and he was having a hard time breathing, due to the forceful flurry of feathers that constantly swirled about him.

His allergies were going to kill him one of these days.

A blinking light on his ring reminded him that he didn't have much time left as Chat Noir. He had spent the entire day in his costume, and if he tried using his Cataclysm, there was a chance that it would drain so much power that he returned to normal.

Landing on a low-hanging tree branch, Chat took a moment to survey the destruction that the pigeons had caused to the park and the surrounding neighborhood.

He sneezed, and another ten pigeons took the chance to dive bomb him, tearing at his clothes and hair, leaving talon and beak marks on his face.

"Stupid allergies!"He whined. "This is getting ridiculous."

He glanced over at Ladybug who was faring just as badly.

She was standing on a park bench, trying to knock Pigeons away with her yo-yo, but there were so many pigeons it seemed impossible.

"M'lady!" he sneezed, catching her attention. "Are you- ACHOO- alright?"

"Yeah! I mean, not really, but I'm doing O.k., It's just that-"

"M'lady watch out!" Chat dived for his lady, knocking her out of the way of a flying pile of pigeon poo.

Chat land on top of Ladybug pinning her to the ground.

"You're awfully lucky despite having a black cat around!" He joked.

To Chat's surprise, Ladybug's face turned bright pink like it only did when she was embarrassed.

"Uhh… Chat, I um.. just..." She muttered unintelligibly.

Chat was more than a little confused. His Lady was always so confident and poised, especially during a fight, but right then she was a nervous wreck. She was acting like one of the many girls at his school who (obviously) had a huge crush on him. Then it hit him.

' _Has Ladybug finally fallen for my feline charms?'_ he thought, a grin spreading across his face.

He rolled off of Ladybug, winked at her and ran back into the battle, fighting fiercer than before. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Superboy was helping Ladybug off the ground. She shook her head emphatically, but in the process of standing up, another pigeon dive-bomber knocked her straight into Superboy's arms.

Ladybug blushed even pinker than before. Chat Noir's heart sank.

' _Could she like Superboy? Not me?'_

Chat Noir prided himself on being in touch with his sensitive side, as well as his charming and endearing side (he was a FRENCH MODEL, after all ), but he wasn't any better at understanding women than any other guy on the planet.

A pigeon swooped by his face. Chat Noir had bigger problems.  
He saw that Superboy had gone back to his American friends, who were watching the battle, not bothering to help out at all.

' _Is this normal behavior in America?'_ he wondered briefly.

He tried to make his way towards M. Pigeon, but the super villain was floating in the air, and the hurricane of birds that surrounded him was so thick that there was no way Chat Noir could fight his way through it. At least, not on his own.

Shaking all unnecessary thoughts away, he called

"Ladybug, I need some help over here!"

Ladybug's eyes went wide, she nodded, then summoned her powers, yelling

"Lucky Charm!"

Red and pink flashing lights surrounded Ladybug, and as she threw her yo-yo into the air, it transformed into a map that floated gently down into her hands.

"Ladybug, that will use up too much power! Your miraculous could stop working!" Chat warned, but to his surprise, Ladybug's earring had four spots left.

"My miraculous charged up while I was passed out in the locker room- Did I just say that out loud? Never mind. I mean, it's not like it's weird to be passed out in a locker room right?" She trailed off restlessly, babbling anxiously.

"What?" Chat asked in confusion.

' _She's babbling anxiously... Is this a sign that she does or doesn't like me?'_

Ladybug switched the subject quickly, taking a moment to examine her lucky charm.

"A map of zeta tubes in France?" She commented, "How will this help?"

"More pigeons!" Chat called as the pigeons surrounded them once more.

This time, the pigeons had a net that they tried to entangle Chat Noir and Ladybug with.

The two dodged easily due to the fact that the pigeon's tiny, clumsy claws were not made well for dexterous movements. Sheer number however, left Chat and Ladybug at a disadvantage.

"There's too many of them! If only there weren't so many Pigeons in Paris!" Chat complained.

"That's It!" Ladybug cried joyously, a spark igniting in her mind that grew into a full-on plan.

She took off running across the park, glancing occasionally at the map. Chat followed.

Finally, she reached the edge of the park and found a telephone booth. It was old and rusty looking as if it hadn't been used in centuries.

"What are we doing here?" Chat asked nervously as his ring beeped again.

Ladybug stuck her head inside of it, pulling her telephone card out of nowhere, mumbling her thanks to an invisible force that she had it on hand. she swiped it through the rusty slot, and the machine rumbled to life. Quickly, she dialed in a number.

Just then, riding a swarm of birds shaped like a dolphin, caught up with them.

Ladybug hopped out of the telephone booth, turning to face the akumatized bird-lover, M. Pigeon.

"HEY PIGEON HEAD!" Ladybug shouted! "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FEED THE WILDLIFE!"

"Are you talking to me? KURRRROOO?" M. Pigeon answered, dismounting from his pigeon-dolphin.

"If you can't even follow simple rules, there's no way you'll ever get our miraculous!"

"Do not underestimate the power of my pigeons! ROOOOOOO!" M. Pigeon replied angrily.

"Why are we antagonizing the super villain?" Chat worried.

"My PIGEON ARMY WILL STEAL THE MIRACULOUS FOR ME!" Came the angry voice of M. Pigeon.

"Pigeons this… Pigeons that… If you want my miraculous, come get it yourself!"

And with those words, Ladybug grabbed Chat's hand, jumped inside the phone booth, and disappeared in a flash of light.

 **Would you call a swarm of pigeons shaped like a dolphin a pigefin, or a dolpheon?**

 **They both sound like Pokemon to me.**


	10. THE FLUFFIEST OF FLUFF?

**HI! Believe it or not, I am alive and working on this story. I have just been very very very busy.**

 **School and all that jazz. Look on my profile, I have a whole paragraph explaining how I will probably update about once a month now.**

"Where are we? Was that a zeta tube?" Chat realized as he saw that he was standing in a different part of France. They were now in a French town that was more like a small village than a big city. Townspeople looked around in surprise as they saw two superheroes appear out of nowhere.

"Wait for it…" Ladybug cautioned. Her plan was going exactly as… planned.

A few seconds later, Mr. Pigeon burst through the zeta tube, and Ladybug screamed,

"Chat use Cataclysm!"

"What?"

"The zeta tube!DO IT!"

Groaning, Chat yelled,

"Cataclysm!" a black light pulsed around his claws and he slashed it across the zeta tube, causing it to break into tiny pieces.

Beep

Beep

Beep

Chat Noir realized that he was about to transform back to normal. He dove into a bush, and felt a green light pulse around him as he turned back to his normal form.

M. Pigeon did not realize his mistake fast enough.

Ladybug attacked him quickly, a swift quick to the head from Ladybug knocking him out.

Because Chat Noir had destroyed the zeta tube directly after had jumped through, there had not been a chance for any pigeons to come through the zeta tube as well. Without his bird army, M. Pigeon could not put up much of a fight.

Ladybug grabbed the bird call off the unconscious man and destroyed it. Catching the Akuma, releasing it, and throwing the lucky charm in the air, Ladybug sent off a wave of her miraculous power to reverse destruction. She watched it surge off northward, presumably towards Paris.

She heard her earring beep and realized she must be down to at least two spots. She still had a little time. She turned to the bush where she knew Chat Noir, Adrien was hiding.

"Chat?" She questioned.

"Don't look at me!" The bush sighed dramatically.

Ladybug shivered when she heard the voice- it sounded so much like Chat, but at the same time, like Adrien!

"You can come out."

A moment of silence passed.

"You want to know my secret identity? Does that mean you're finally ready to tell me yours?" The voice sounded so hopeful.

Ladybug paled.

"Yes, Uh, NO! Maybe?"

"If you're not going to tell me YOUR secret identity, you don't get to know mine!" The bush huffed.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

' _I already know yours!'_

"I'm the one who looked at the map of Zeta tubes in France. There's one in this town, but you can't find it without me. So you don't get a choice. Get out of the bush now, Chat." She argued.

"M'lady, telling each other our secret identities is a big step in our relationship-partnership-whatever you call it. If you're not willing to take this step, then I'm not willing to take it either."

Now Ladybug was silenced. She felt a little guilty about trying to get Chat to reveal his secret identity even if she already knew it. Her heart melted a little bit.

She turned around, and closed her eyes.

"My eyes are closed." She said simply.

The bush rustled.

"They are?"

"Yes! Can we get going now, I want to get home before my transformation wears off too."

More rustling. A hand touched her shoulder. Not a claw- just a normal hand.

Ladybug's heart beat a little faster.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Came Adrien/Chat's voice.

"Five?" guessed Ladybug.

"HAH. That was a trick question. I'm not holding any up."

"Now that you have definitely confirmed that I'm closing my eyes for real," Marinette said with a bit of a giggle, "We need to find that zeta tube. What street are we on?"

"Uh, I don't know. There are no street signs."

"Use your eyes! Ask somebody!"

"I don't see any people though…"

After quite a while of Adrien leading Ladybug through the streets, and a lot of asking for directions, the pair realised that they were quite lost.

A beeping noise alerted the two to the fact that Ladybug's identity would be revealed soon.

"If I could use my own eyes." Ladybug grumbled.

"If you change back don't expect me to close my eyes." Adrien shot back.

"We would look ridiculous!" Ladybug snorted. "Two teenagers walking through this town refusing to open their eyes for fear that we might see each other!"

The duo chuckled over that thought.

"You know, finding out our secret identities in this way wouldn't be the worst way." Adrien suggested.

"Yep. I can think of a worse way." Ladybug muttered, thinking back to when she had passed out in the locker room. Had it only really been a few hours ago?

"Ladybug, would you be happy to know my secret identity?" Chat asked suddenly.

 **Guys, I am honestly ashamed. I can't believe I have been spelling Marinette's name wrong this entire fanfiction.**

 **I'm soooo sorry Marinette. I'm not worthy.**


	11. Everyone Needs A Friend?

" _Ladybug, would you be happy to know my secret identity?" Chat asked suddenly._

Ladybug stiffened in surprise.

"Wha- Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, you always insist that we never reveal our secret identities to each other. I'm starting to wonder if there's a reason why. Think of all the good we could do if we knew who our partner was, even out of costume!"

"Well, I-"

' _Why do I insist on keeping up this facade?'_ Marinette wondered. ' _Now that I know Chat is Adrien, I might actually have a chance with him. This is stupid… I'm going to tell him who I am.'_

She lifted her chin and prepared to confidently proclaim her love.

"I just think it might make things a little complicated." Ladybug stuttered instead of saying what she really wanted to.

"It might make things complicated. But would it make you happy? My secret identity can't be that bad, can it?" Chat/Adrien said with a chuckle.

"You're not bad at all." Marinette admitted under her breath.

"Huh?"

"I mean, I'm sure you're not bad..." Marinette giggled nervously, but her mind was swirling like a tornado because of Chat's question.

' _Would it make me happy? Does it make me happy? I'm definitely happy that Adrien likes me, but the problem is, he likes Ladybug, not Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Even if I factor out the romantic feelings, I'm guess I'm happy to know that Chat's secret identity isn't some creepy weird dude. Still, he's way cooler and more popular than me. What if he's disappointed when he finds out that I'm just a normal school girl?l!'_

"-Earth to Ladybug! I found the Zetatube! And we're almost out of time too, your earring has one spot left."

Ladybug realized that she had been internally monologuing. She resisted the temptation to snap open her eyes and look around.

"Where is it?"

"It's a phone booth thingy like that other one. Here." Chat guided Ladybug's hand to a cool metal surface."Well, I guess I'm going through, now. Thanks, m'lady"

"For what? Closing my eyes and looking like a moron as you guide me around?" Ladybug scoffed.

"For being trustable, and intelligent, and understanding. For being you. I hope you know that whoever you really are, it doesn't change the way I feel." Adrien/Chat replied.

"Chat-"

"I'll always care about you Ladybug, whether or not you wear a mask doesn't change that."

Unlike most of his flirtatious quips, Chat's voice was filled with real emotion. Ladybug took a sharp breath before responding, but there was a mechanical whirring sound, and then silence.

"Chat, A-Adrien, I-"

BEEP

Ladybug's costume timed out and when she opened her eyes, Adrien was gone.

Before he could bring himself to hear Ladybug's reply to his mushy, romantic word vomit, Chat had leapt throught the Zetatube, arriving at Mt. Justice.

Adrien could only hope that none of the American superheroes would see him without his costume.

" _Recognized; Chat Noir- guest."_ The computer announced to the empty fortress. Adrien nervously looked around, sighing in relief when he realized that Mt. Justice was still mostly empty.

"They must be in Paris still." He muttered to himself.

"Well that took awhile." Plagg complained, appearing next to Adrien's head. "What was that whole 'close-your-eyes-so-you-can't-see-me-' thing about? What are you, five?"

Adrien rolled his eyes in annoyance, swatting the little black cat away.

"You're the one who made my costume time out back there!"

"You work me too hard!"

"Quiet. I don't want anybody to see you." Adrien whispered, shoving Plagg in his pocket.

Heading towards his room, he stopped in the hallway in front of his door. Then he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Cat dude!"

Adrien froze; it was an American voice coming from behind him. Adrien didn't know what to do. He wasn't in costume, but he couldn't very well play dumb, the stupid computer had just announced his arrival. Slowly he turned to face the American hero. It was Beast Boy.

"Hi, Beast Boy." The French teen said nervously in English.

"Hey, you're not wearing your costume, Chat!" Beast Boy felt the need to point out.  
Adrien looked around to see if anyone else was coming, and grabbed Beast Boy, pulling him into his room and slamming the door.

"You know who I am?" Adrien asked, his heart dropping to his feet.

Beast Boy shrugged, leaning against Adrien's door.

"Well, I can tell that you're the alter ego of Chat Noir. The french accent kind of gives it away. Though I don't really know your name so it doesn't matter if I know your secret identity."

"What?"

"I mean, I'm not planning on moving to Paris any time soon, so the chances of me ever seeing you out of costume in real life is nil." The green teen laughed amiably.

"You're right. It's not like I'm famous or anything." Adrien laughed nervously, hoping Beast Boy would never pick up a french magazine. "Just don't tell anyone that you saw me out of costume, especially Ladybug."

"Why Ladybug? Is there something special about her?"

Adrien began to blush furiously. "Of course she's special to me- I mean, she… she doesn't realize-"

"Ohoho!" Beast Boy snickered, grabbing raising a green eyebrow. "Tell me more. She doesn't realize what?"

Adrien sighed in defeat and proceeded to admit to Beast Boy everything that was troubling him about his relationship with Ladybug. The way he felt about her, and the way she rejected him. How she wouldn't reveal her identity to him, but at the same time respected his choice to keep his identity a secret. How he feels like a real person when he's around her.

"... I feel like I can be myself with Ladybug, I don't have to be picture-perfect, always knowing what to say and how to act. But she's so out-of-my-league. I've had a lot of experience with girls, and I can barely tell if she's interested or not."

"You definitely have the face of someone who's had a lot of experience with girls." Beast Boy admitted thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Listen, I'm going to come up with a plan to get you and Ladybug together!"

"What? You're going to get Ladybug to what!?" Adrien nearly shouted.

"Calm down dude," Beast Boy relented, a bit taken back, "If it's a big deal I won't-"

"That's brilliant! I've never had a wingman before!" Adrien said enthusiastically.

"Wait, you like my plan?" Beast Boy asked. The green teenager was not used to such a positive response to his schemes.

"Of course! Back home, no one knows my secret identity, so I don't have a wingman to count on. But I can count on you right?"

"You bet!" Beast Boy returned with a smile.

The two continued to talk, not as superheroes, but as teenage guys. After Beast Boy eventually left, Adrien realized that he should be worried that someone knew his secret identity. But he wasn't. He was just glad he had a friend. And someone to help him win ladybug's heart.


	12. Take Two- ACTION?

The first attempt was borderline disaster.

Personally, Chat Noir would have thought that it was impossible to burn down a mountain. Honestly, M'gann was over-reacting.

It had all started with one of Beast Boy's stupid plans anyway.

Beast Boy quickly came up with interesting plans to help Chat gain Ladybug's "undying devotion and love," and Chat was starting to worry about Beast Boy's ability to plan.

One of these "plans" involved wooing Ladybug with a romantic candle light dessert.

"Won't that seem a little… Direct?" Chat questioned.

"Nah, man! Ladies love good food!" Beast Boy chirped excitedly.

"Exactly how many women have you wooed with a romantic candlelight dessert?"

"Uh, none. But I read on a blog that cooking is one of the most attractive qualities a guy can have!"

Armed with aprons and apple peelers, Chat and BB set about conquering the most daunting task any hero can ever face- making a scrumptious apple cobbler.

Chat Noir really hoped that Ladybug liked apple cobbler. He figured that bugs like fruit, and since Ladybug's costume was based off a bug, she probably liked fruit too.

"So, how is this going to work? How will we get her to even agree to this?" Chat asked as he carefully sliced apples.

The two teenage heroes had managed to find a time when most of the Young Justice team members were gone or not using the Mt. Justice kitchen. The kitchen was old and outdated, but it still worked fine.

Bustling about the kitchen assembling ingredients, Beast Boy replied, "I'll be walking by her room about dinner time, and I'll ask if she wants some of the apple cobbler we made…" Beast Boy checked the stovetop; seeing that it was the perfect temperature his motions grew more animated as he became more excited," And she'll come to the kitchen, and you'll be here and then-"

Beast Boy never had a chance to say what would happen next, because in his excitement he knocked the open bag of flour off of the counter.

White powder flew into the air, filling the room and coating every surface. Startled Chat noir dropped the knife he was holding, only to have it drop on his foot.

"YEOWW!" The inhuman screech caused Beast Boy, temporarily blinded by the flour to fall backwards onto the stovetop. The very hot stovetop. Beast Boy jumped away from the stove, but not before his apron got stuck on a wire and ripped in half. Part of the flowery embroidered apron was caught on the stovetop, while the other half hung like a bib from Beast Boy's neck.

Panting, Beast Boy collapsed next to Chat, who was nursing his injured foot on the floor.

"Look at this mess!" He grumbled, spitting flour out of his mouth.

"We can clean it up!" Beast Boy insisted, gently stroking the singed hair on his arms and legs. "If we finish and clean up soon, no one will know that we ever-"

Chat Noir never got to find out what people wouldn't know, because at that moment, the part of Beast Boy's apron that was still on the stove top erupted into flames.

That was when M'gann walked into the kitchen.

Screams echoed through Mt. justice.

The second attempt was just as interesting as the first.

That is, if interesting is defined as "excruciatingly painful." The second attempt started when Beast Boy burst into Chat Noir's room screaming,

"CODE YELLOW! I REPEAT, THERE IS A CODE YELLOW!"

"A code what?" replied Chat, who shoved the unmanly fashion magazine he had been reading behind his back.

"Kid Flash is hitting on Ladybug! They're alone in the training room!" Beast Boy panted out of breath.

"What?" Chat Noir managed to squeak out before bolting into the training room followed by Beast Boy.

Kid Flash was being his flirty self, hanging on Ladybug's arm, playfully teasing her. Ladybug stood stiffly and uncomfortably, as if she wasn't sure to handle the situation. Chat was understandably annoyed.

' _She doesn't seem to ever have any trouble rejecting me.'_ Chat grumbled mentally.

"So, you look like you work out. I work out." Kid Flash said flashing a bright white smile and flaunting his lean, but well-muscled arms. "Look at these guns. Did I tell you about the time I took down Captain Cold?"

"Uh, Yeah, probably… Listen, this has been fun, but, um..." Ladybug looked like a disagreeable mixture of bored and simultaneously afraid of having to listen to Kid Flash's egotistical stories.

"I'll tell you anyway." Kid Flash decided.

Before the story could start, however, Ladybug caught sight of Chat Noir.

"Hey Chat!"

"Hi, Ladybug." Chat replied, approaching cautiously. Beast Boy surveyed the situation from a distance, not sure whether he should root for his old friend, or his new one.

Kid Flash glared at the intruder.

"This is a private training session." He said with a wink at Ladybug.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, yanking her arm away from Kid Flash, who was still holding onto it like a leech latches on to a helpless victim.

"Of course Chat can hang out with us if he wants to!" She insisted.

Chat smiled cockily, tilting his head as he added,

"Yeah, and I want to."

"So, then, Kitty cat- you wouldn't mind going a few rounds? We are supposed to be 'training' after all." Kid Flash laid down the challenge.

Chat Noir paled. He had seen KF in action. The American was older and more experienced (although Chat would never admit it).

Beast Boy, seeing the doubt on Chat Noir's face, pulled him aside.

"Dude, you have to do this. It's the only way you can prove that you're a real man."

"But-" Chat started, glancing at Kid Flash, who was still making eyes at Ladybug.

"But what?" Beast Boy cut him off. "Do you want to fight Kid Flash and be a man, or stay in your room reading girly, french, fashion magazines?"

Chat turned red before nodding his head firmly and heading to the center of the training ring.

"Let's go, American." he taunted, trying to ignore Ladybug's undivided attention on the sparring match.

Chat was taken by surprise by the speed and ferocity at which Kid Flash attacked. The American teen appeared to be nothing but a yellow blur speeding about the ring like golden lightning. Chat dodged and flipped, nimbly avoiding most of the attacks.  
After a minute or so, Kid Flash got a solid hit in that sent Chat flying. The black-clad teen managed to land on his feet, but looked a little shaky.

"YOU GOT THIS MAN! I mean cat, I mean, LET'S GO, MAN-CAT DUDE!" Beast Boy yelled unhelpfully.

Ladybug looked distinctly unimpressed with Beast Boy's cheering.

"I can see why they don't let you come up with the names for heroes and villains around here." She muttered.

A few other heroes had joined Beast Boy and Ladybug and were watching the fight, cheering on their favorite.

Among them was Miss Martian (who was still furious about the state of her kitchen), Batgirl, Aquaman, Superboy, Robin, and Impulse. Although Miss Martian, Robin, And Impulse cheered on Kid Flash; Chat Noir had a fan base in Batgirl, Aquaman, and surprisingly, Superboy.

Chat Noir realized that he couldn't dodge the high speed attacks for very long, so he quickly came up with a half-baked cookie of a plan. As Kid Flash raced towards the blond, french hero, Chat Noir chouted,

"CATACLYSM!"

He slammed his claws into the ground, causing it to shake and rumble, cracks spreading throughout the ground towards Kid Flash. The hero tripped over a piece of jagged concrete, losing his balance.

For a split second, Chat was elated.

' _I did it! I stopped Kid Flash!'_

But because of his momentum, Kid Flash continued to fly through the air- straight towards Chat Noir.

Kid Flash landed painfully on top of Chat Noir, in the most painful and awkward way possible. There was a moment of silence before the assembled crowds of teenage heroes broke into rambunctious laughter.

Both of the heroes tangled up on the floor turned beet red, causing the crowds to laugh even more. Chat managed to get to his feet, avoiding eye contact with Ladybug who was positively DYING from laughter.

"Not bad, Kitty Cat." A voice said. It was Kid Flash, who was standing next to Chat with a lopsided grin on his face. Rubbing his arm, he winced. "I think I hurt something."

"Oh, sorry." Chat apologized quickly. He honestly hadn't wanted to hurt anybody, though if he was honest, he felt like his pride was suffering more than KF's arm.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I've got a rapid healing factor." With that, Kid Flash wandered off.

Not wanting to face Ladybug or Beast Boy, Chat returned quickly to his room- it didn't help that his ring was beeping rapidly too.

Too much power used up too quickly.

Collapsing on his bed, Plagg flew from the ring and Chat Noir became Adrien again.

"What am I doing?" Adrien questioned. "All I've done is make an idiot out of myself!"

The blond teen was already sore from his head on collision with Kid Flash. Every time he stretched out, he felt an a annoying pain in his back that he was pretty sure was not supposed to be there.

"OWWWwwwWWWWwwW." He complained.

"Welp, you definitely have problems." Plagg conceded as he stuffed his face with cheese.

There were a few minutes of silent pity-partying and feverish cheese-eating before somebody knocked on the door.

"Chat? Its Ladybug."


	13. Sometimes I hate my self

**Authors note: This chapter skips around between the 3rd Person POV of several characters. Said Skips will be penetrated by a "..."**

Batgirl watched as Chat hurried away, blushing madly from embarrassment. She glanced over to where Ladybug was standing and saw that Ladybug looked embarrassed for her friend, but was trying to pass it off as no big deal.

Being embarrassed in front of Ladybug had obviously been a VERY big deal for Chat Noir.

Chat had a giant crush on Ladybug, which Ladybug had seemed to ignore for the longest time. But then, that day in the locker room had happened, with Ladybug discovering her partner's secret identity. (Batgirl thought it was rather stupid that partners would even keep such a secret from each other, especially when they worked in such close proximity).

Apparently, Ladybug had a (serious) crush on Chat Noir's secret identity. Yet neither were willing to admit their true feelings.

It was all very… dramatic.

Batgirl sighed and rolled her eyes. Somebody (batgirl) needed to step in and get things moving.

Batgirl approached Ladybug confidently.

"Good fight, huh?" She mentioned in an off-handed fashion.

"It was definitely, interesting." Ladybug said with a shrug. "I wish boys wouldn't fight like that though."

She glanced nervously towards the door Chat had left through.

"It was just a sparring session of course, nothing else, right?" Batgirl said as if she hadn't known the fight was basically two alpha male personalities fighting over the attention of Ladybug.

"Oh- Of course. Just a friendly training session."

"Uh-huuuuuuuh." Batgirl drew out the second part of the word and accompanied it with a suggestive eyebrow twerk. "I wonder what's up with Chat. It's almost like he was embarrassed in front of his crush."

Ladybug paled a little.

"Do you mean-"

Sadly(for batgirl) before the older redhead could talk to the youngere french heroine any longer, Night Wing appeared, immediately demanding the presence of the gathered heroes.

"There's been hostile metahuman sighting in downtown bayville, near the old Cadmus building. The League wants a team to check it out, pronto."

Batgirl grinned- this spelled opportunity. She raised her hand, waving it in the air, knowing how much it would annoy Night Wing.

Night Wing glared and mumbled something about how "this isn't kindergarten" before finally conceding and calling on her.

"Batgirl, are you volunteering?"

"Sure thing. Chat and Ladybug want to come too, if that's alright."

Ladybug smiled and nodded in agreement.

"That's fine. Anyone else?" Night Wing asked, scanning the group.

Beast Boy raised his hand excitedly too.

"Ooooh, choose me!"

Giving up on life, Night Wing called out in a very kindergarten-teacherish way,

"Yes, Beast Boy?"

"Can I come too?"

"Affirmative. Report to the control room in ten for further instructions." Nightwing attempted to salvage his dignity, and left. The other heroes in the room began to clear out as well.

When Ladybug didn't do anything, Batgirl nudged her on the arm.

"Well?" She asked, "Go get'm."

"What?" Ladybug replied, looking a little confused.

"Go get Chat! We did just volunteer him after all." Batgirl sighed in exasperation. "And tell him you love him while you're there too."

Ladybug's jaw dropped as she stood there for about a minute, unable to form words.

"Remember that day in the locker room when you found out Chat Noir's secret identity? I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything, but talk to yourself much?"

Ladybug continued speechless.

"Okay, so maybe I did intend to eavesdrop a little, but you should really go get Chat!" Batgirl admitted.

Ladybug seemed to find her words again.

"I- I can't! I'm afraid to tell him who I really am. He doesn't love me, he loves Ladybug! Ladybug is confident, cool, pretty and not… me."

She hung her head dejectedly as she finished the sentence.

"Just shut up." Batgirl groaned. "I'm not putting up with any of that talk. Putting on a mask and doing a silly dance and shouting a catchphrase doesn't make you smarter or prettier or more lovable."

Ladybug looked up and met Batgirl's eyes.

"Really?"

"Really. Your personality doesn't change when you put on a mask, right? Maybe you're a little more confident, or you go by a different name, but you're still you."

"I guess."

"And if Chat Noir is only interested in you because of how you look in a spandex suit... well then he's not really worth all this drama."

…

Thirty seconds later, Marinette stood outside Chat's door, wondering what she should say. Knocking quietly she called out,

"Chat? Its Ladybug."

' _Oh no! What have I done!?'_ Ladybug began to panic mentally as soon as the words left her mouth. ' _I can't do this? Should I really just tell him that I know his secret Identity?'_

The thought had been swirling around in Ladybug/Marinette's head ever since she found out that Chat was Adrien. Up until this moment, she had been afraid to tell him who she was. It would probably overcomplicate things; especially with the complicated "love-square" between the two of them. Despite this fact, batgirl was right- If Adrien/Chat really liked Ladybug, then he would like Marinette too.

So there was really nothing to be afraid of… right?

The door swung open and Ladybug readied herself to confess her love.

…

Chat heard Marinette's voice and immediately panicked. He didn't want to face her after the embarrassing fight wit Kid Flash, but he couldn't just ignore her either. Opening the door he encouraged himself mentally, ' _Play it cool, Adrien.'_

Then Chat Noir caught sight of Ladybug's crystal clear blue eyes and all that came out was, "uhhhhh- m'lady. Hi. Didn't expect to see you here."

Chat tried to mentally bolster himself,

' _Come on Adrien, lay on some of that French charm!'_

Ladybug seemed to hesitate for a moment, before saying,

"Chat, there's something really important I want you to know."

Chat's ears perked up.

' _Oh no, I bet it's about how Kid Flash beat me so easily. She probably is tired of having such an incompetent partner!'_

Chat laughed anxiously and tried to make an attempt at a joke.

"Really? Does it have anything to do with my spectacular display of talent earlier? 'Cause there's more where that came from." Chat said sarcastically.

"Hm? No. It's something else." Ladybug assured Chat.

Chat became a little confused. What else would Ladybug want to tell him about that was really important?

"Chat… I know that-" Ladybug paused before finishing quickly "-that we have a mission. Yep. I know that we have a mission. Report to the control room in ten minutes."

And with that, Ladybug slammed the door in Chat Noir's face, leaving him to wonder why this mission was so important.

…

' _Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!'_

Ladybug was screaming in mental anguish as she walked slowly and calmly through the hallways to the headquarters.

' _Why can't I just tell him?'_ She asked herself. ' _I don't even have to tell him that I like him! I could just drop a few clues signifying that I know who he really is. What's wrong with you Ladybug?'_

It seemed that the tongue-tied state that Marinette constantly found herself in around Adrien had transferred to the relationship between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

It was undeniably awkward.

"So...awkward…" Someone voiced that thought.

Marinette whirled to her left to see Batgirl, standing in the hallway.

"Wh- How- Why were you eavesdropping on us?"

Batgirl smiled slyly(more like a fox than a bat) and replied,

"It's what I do. Besides, its obvious you're going to need a lot of help."

"Help with what?" Marinette asked, confused.

Batgirl facepalmed. "This is why you need help." she muttered under her breath before continuing, "Marinette, I swear on my utility belt that by the time this mission is over, you will tell Chat Noir everything."

"Everything?" Marinette gulped, her eyes wide.

' _I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.'_ She thought to herself.

"Batgirl, I'm not-" but before Ladybug could finish her sentence, Batgirl had disappeared into the dark shadows of Mt. Justice.

…

Batgirl was moving towards Chat Noir's room- through the air vents. The reason being Batgirl needed to get more information on this "Adrien." After all, she had just promised Ladybug that she could find a way to get her to confess her love.

Surprisingly, As Batgirl neared Chat Noir's room, she heard a familiar voice coming from it.

"I was trying to help, dude!"

"By volunteering me for a mission after that fiasco?" Through the vents came Chat Noir's voice.

"The mission is a second chance to show how tough you are. Kid Flash won't even be there!"

"Beast Boy, this is a terrible idea."

' _Ahhh. So Beast Boy is the one behind Chat Noir's attempts to woo Ladybug. No wonder they've all turned out so badly._ Batgirl thought to herself.

"Oh come on, bro, we can make this work!"

"I've got to recharge, Beast Boy. Getting landed on by Kid Jerk takes a lot out of you. So bye."

Batgirl heard a door open and slam.

Batgirl sighed. She would get pretty frustrated if Beast Boy was giving her relationship advice as well. Navigating through the air ventilation system, she came to a metal grille, silently pushed it out of place, crawled through it, and dropped to the floor gracefully.

Beast Boy, who was sulking in the hallway, jumped back in surprise at the sudden appearance of Batgirl.

"What the-?" he gasped in surprise.

"Beast Boy, we need to talk." the heroine demanded.

"Aren't we doing that?" The young green boy shot back.

Batgirl raised an eyebrow and suggested,

"I think it's time we unite our efforts."


	14. Adrien's idiocy vs Ladybug's hesitancy

**IMPORTANT: This new chapter picks up in the middle of the last chapter and continues to switch P.O.V.**

 _Previously:_

 _"Chat? Its Ladybug."_

 _'Oh no! What have I done!?' Ladybug began to panic mentally as soon as the words left her mouth. 'I can't do this? Should I really just tell him that I know his secret Identity?'_

 _The thought had been swirling around in Ladybug/Marinette's head ever since she found out that Chat was Adrien. Up until this moment, she had been afraid to tell him who she was. It would probably overcomplicate things; especially with the complicated "love-square" between the two of them. Despite this fact, batgirl was right- If Adrien/Chat really liked Ladybug, then he would like Marinette too._

 _So there was really nothing to be afraid of… right?_

 _The door swung open and Ladybug readied herself to confess her love._

…

Lady Bug had just knocked on the door, softly calling out,

"Chat? It's Ladybug." to announce her presence.

Adriens head snapped up and Plagg thought he heard the blond mutter to himself

"Play it cool, Adrien."

Plagg watched in borderline horror (but mostly avid fascination) as Adrien opened the door.

"Wait! Adrien! You're not in costu-"

Plagg refused to admit that his worried cry may have been muffled by the amount of Cheese that was stuffed into his mouth at the moment. Before the cries of the small black cat could reach Adrien's ears, the French opened the door. Plagg face palmed. Donning his cheeky "Chat-titude," Adrien smirked a little as he came face to face with Ladybug.

Then Adrien caught sight of Ladybug's crystal clear blue eyes and all that came out was, "uhhhhh- m'lady. Hi. Didn't expect to see you here."

...

Ladybug froze. She had not been expecting this. The door to Adrien's room had opened, revealing not the mysterious and costumed face of Chat Noir but the memorable (beautiful, picturesque, comely, attractive, handsome) face of Adrien Agreste.

Ladybug froze, not sure how to respond, her first thought immediately being.

' _OHMYGOSH HE KNOWS THAT I KNOW! Why else would he be out of costume?!'_

The sudden shock was followed by a wave of guilt, mixed with relief. ' _I don't have to break the news to him. I'll just explain that I knew his secret Identity all along.'_ Considering why she had not talked to Chat about his secret identity sooner, she started off,

"Chat, there's something really important I want you to know-"

"Really? Does it have anything to do with my spectacular display of talent earlier? 'Cause there's more where that came from." Adrien said sarcastically, cutting Ladybug off mid-sentence.

The arrogant interruption was not something Adrien would do- it was a move Chat Noir would make.

"Hm?" Ladybug's initial reaction was once again one of extreme confusion.

It was then that the red and black spandex wearing heroine realized, ' _Chat does not realize he is out of costume!'_

The realization it Ladybug like a major earthquake hits a small, third-world country. She could see it more clearly now; the way he stood, the way he crossed his arms, the sure, confident movement. All were denotative of the fact that Adrien currently thought he was Chat Noir.

Ladybug had always considered Chat to be a bit dim- but forgetting that he was not wearing a mask? That was a little extreme. Once again, all the fears that plagued Ladybug when she considered discussing their secret identities returned to haunt her.

"No. It's something else." Ladybug nervously assured Chat.

' _This is the perfect opportunity to expose that I know who he really is! What better way to talk about unmasking secret identities than to talk to the secret identity of Chat Noir, unmasked!?'_

"Chat… I know that-" Ladybug struggled to get out, not finding the strength to finish the sentence.

Adrien blinked in confusion raising and eyebrow. It was a little quirk, small and insignificant, but so undeniably "Adrien" that it stunted Ladybug mid-thought.

Ladybug realized (she was having quite a few realizations) that Adrien had never talked to her like this before. He had never talked like this to anyone before. The cocky attitude, confident stance, and relaxed grin were all things Ladybug associated with Chat Noir. Adrien was always poised, always calm, and always polite: a golden boy. He was handsome and courteous (any school girl's dream), but at that moment, acting more like Chat Noir than the heir to the Agreste fortune, Adrien seemed more in his element than ever. It was if the natural, realistic, Adrien had come out of the unbreakable, over-polished shell.  
Ladybug had always dismissed Chat Noir as a bit over eager and self-confident, but somehow these qualities seemed more suited to the man behind the mask than to the superhero. In comparison to this "new" Adrien, the "old" Adrien seemed stiff and uncomfortable.

In other words, Adrien acting like Chat was like looking at a completely different Adrien. For the first time since discovering his secret identity, Ladybug did not worry that Adrien would dislike her because Marinette was too "different" from Ladybug. Instead, she wondered if the Adrien she had come to know and adore was the real Adrien at all.

' _It's all too confusing!'_ Ladybug thought. ' _I can't do this!'_

However, Ladybug somehow found a way to finish her sentence.

"-that we have a mission. Yep. I know that we have a mission. Report to the control room in ten minutes."

And with that, Ladybug slammed the door in Adrien Agreste's face, leaving him to wonder why this mission was so important.

…

Plagg watched in confusion as Ladybug and Adrien stumbled through the most undoubtedly awkward conversation he had ever had the privilege of witnessing. For a brief second, Plagg considered reminding Adrien that he was out of costume (And thus jeopardizing his secret identity!) The idea that perhaps he should just help Adrien out with his girl problems also crossed his mind, but the strong odor of Camembert had captured his attention.

"Nah." He said to himself. "Let them suffer."

Grabbing a piece and lounging back, Plagg smiled.

"This is going to be entertaining."

…

Beast Boy was not surprised to find Adrien sulking in his room. The blond hero had just been embarrassed in front of his crush, and was not taking it well.

"Hey, uh, Adrien?"

"Mhh."

"You O.K.? And… stuff?"

"I guess."

Beast boy hesitated before responding. Although the two teenaged heroes had gotten on splendidly, neither were good with negative emotions, and Beast Boy did not want to endanger their fledgling friendship.

"It's not that bad?" Beast Boy finally offered, his voice squeaking with uncertainty.

"Not that Bad! Ladybug seemed disgusted with me!" Adrien suddenly said forcefully.

"Disgusted is a strong word, dude!" Beast Boy countered.

"You didn't see her face!" Adrien shot back. "I bet she was going to tell me what an incompetent partner I was, but instead she just slammed the door and left!"

If Beast Boy was paying a bit more attention, he would have noticed that Adrien's use of the phrase "her face" implied face-to-face contact while Adrien himself was unmasked. However, as was common with the green hero, Beast Boy got caught up in the moment and argued back,

"Well, we're going on a mission, so this is your chance to prove you are a worthy partner!"

"What?"

"I volunteered us for a mission, along with Ladybug and Batgirl."

Adrien groaned, "That's exactly what I DON'T need right now!"

"I was trying to help, dude!"

"By volunteering me for a mission after that fiasco?"

"The mission is a second chance to show how tough you are. Kid Flash won't even be there!"

"Beast Boy, this is a terrible idea."

"Oh come on, bro, we can make this work!"

"I've got to recharge, Beast Boy. Getting landed on by Kid Jerk takes a lot out of you. So bye."

Adrien stiffly opened the door and gestured to it. Not sure what else to say or do, Beast Boy resigned himself to giving the french team some time to cool off.

...

As entertaining as a literal "love-square" was, Batgirl was starting to get annoyed by the constant fumbling and dreamy-eyed gazes.

For the Batman's sake! Chat Noir had practically given his identity away in an idiotic manner over and over again, but Ladybug lacked absolutely any initiative when it came to confronting Adrien. Which is why Batgirl was squirming through the vents toward Chat Noir's room. Batgirl was had created the hypothesis that if she eavesdropped enough, a way in which this horrid mess could be fixed might be revealed. That was when she heard the recognizable sound of arguing.

"I was trying to help, dude!"

"By volunteering me for a mission after that fiasco?"

"The mission is a second chance to show how tough you are. Kid Flash won't even be there!"

"Beast Boy, this is a terrible idea."

"Oh come on, bro, we can make this work!"

"I've got to recharge, Beast Boy. Getting landed on by Kid Jerk takes a lot out of you. So bye."

Batgirl sighed. She would get pretty frustrated if Beast Boy was giving her relationship advice as well. Batgirl was willing to bet her utility belt that the small green teen's mischievous plans had created no end of trouble for Chat Noir.

Navigating through the air ventilation system, Batgirl came to a metal grille, silently pushed it out of place, crawled through it, and dropped to the floor gracefully.

Beast Boy, who was sulking in the hallway, jumped back in surprise at the sudden appearance of Batgirl.

"What the-?" he gasped in surprise.

"Beast Boy, we need to talk." the heroine demanded.

"Aren't we doing that?" The young green boy shot back.

Batgirl raised an eyebrow and suggested,

"I think it's time we unite our efforts."

"How are we going to do that?"  
Before Batgirl could reply, A voice crackled to life on her communicator- Night Wing's voice.

"Batgirl, I hope you were serious about actually going on this mission, because if you volunteer and drop out last minute one more time Batman's gonna-"

Batgirl snatched the communicator from her belt and replied,

"Don't worry, Night Wing, we're on our way."

Turning to Beast Boy she said with a devious smile.

"Are you ready for _the mission,_ Beast Boy?"

"Uh, I guess? Night Wing said-" Beast Boy started to say before being cut off.

"Not Night Wing's mission, _THE mission."_ Batgirl insisted, putting extra emphasis on each syllable.

"Huh?!"

Batgirl just rolled her eyes and began to saunter towards Night Wing's debriefing room.

" _The mission_ to get Chat Noir and Ladybug together!"

"Oh, I didn't know that was _the mission!_ " Beast Boy called as he trotted after her.

 **Author's note! I live! THE AP TESTS/ FINALS ARE OVER! I AM FREE!**

 **This short little chapter was actually quite fun to write. It was created out of a mistake last chapter, in which I forgot that Adrien had temporarily depowered before opening the door to talk to Ladybug. In the end, I think the scene worked out nicely, even if I did have to backtrack and switch P.O.V. a ton.**

 **I strongly feel that Batgirl saunters. She doesn't walk, she saunters.**

 **Meanwhile, Beast Boy trots, Chat Noir slinks, and Ladybug strides.**

 **Batman waits. He waits in the darkness. Always watching.**


	15. Trains and Missions and Disguises?

**Chapter 15**

Night Wing stood in front of the holographic computer, carefully explaining to the four teenaged superheroes, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Beast Boy, and Batgirl, the nature of their mission.

None of them were actually paying any attention.

"There's a train station a few miles from here; there was a reported sighting of hostile metahumans nearby. We have reason to believe that some of the more secretive branches of CADMUS may still be functioning, which leads us to the conclusion that the sightings of enhanced metahumans are…"

Ladybug knew that she should be listening attentively to Night Wing's debriefing, but she could not bring herself to focus. Besides the stomach-twisting nerves of her first "American" mission, she had another problem on her mind- one that was infinitely more pressing- teenage romance.

'Ugh, it sounds so stupidly cliche. You're a superheroine, Marinette! Pull yourself together!' Marinette chided herself inwardly.

Glancing at her partner in heroics, who was standing next to Beast Boy, Marinette fought down a blush before quickly averting her eyes.

'I should have just told him earlier! I bet I looked stupid, just standing there, stuttering. Omigosh, I looked stupid in front of Adrien-"

Marinette's inner panic attack was interrupted by a frowning Beast Boy.

"You alright? We're heading out right now."

"Oh, sorry. Let's go." With a jolt, Marinette realized the briefing was over and the small group of four heroes was heading over to the zeta tubes.

"Calm down, dudette." Beast Boy advised. "If it comes down to it, I can always just tell Adrien that you know his secret identity. We're already chill so he'd probably-"

"WHAT?! How-How-"

"Yeah, I talked to Bat Girl. So me telling him for you isn't an option?"

"Does Batgirl feel even a little guilty about interfering so much in my personal life?" Asked Ladybug with a glare towards the purple clad red-head.

"Nope! I'm pretty sure Bats don't feel emotions like shame." Beast Boy said with a Cheerful smirk before skipping off towards the zeta-tubes.

…

Chat Noir was still wondering what was the matter with Ladybug when Night Wing's debriefing ended. Before he could turn to Beast Boy, however, a figure clad in dark purple, and black pulled him toward the zeta-tubes.

The two entered the shining metal apparati of the zeta tubes and to appeared in an empty alley.

"Hi! I'm Batgirl. I volunteered Ladybug for the mission, and since you two are a duo, I thought you would like to come along too." Batgirl introduced herself brightly. "Now put this on!"

The older teen shoved an armful of clothing into Chat's arms.

"Civies? Why do I need these for the mission?"

Then Ladybug and beat boy came through the zeta tube, and Ladybug was given a similar armful of clothing.

"Alright!" Batgirl explained "The only activity going at this train station today will be a 6:30 train to Central City. We are assuming that the metahumans are targeting that train, so we will be keeping surveillance to make sure it gets safely to Central City."

"But what do I need this clothing for?" asked Ladybug.

With a maniacal gleam in her eye, Batgirl replied"You and Ladybug get to infiltrate the train- undercover! You'll keep an eye out for any suspicious activity from on the train-"

"-Wait!" Chat interrupted nervously "I, uh, need my costume for fighting... and stuff."

"Me too!" Ladybug insisted.

Batgirl rolled her eyes. It almost annoyed her to see two heroes so incredibly dependent on their powers and costumes. As a member of the bat family, Batgirl had done so much training she was almost overly-confident in her abilities, regardless of costume or civilian clothes.

"I'm running this operation, Beast Boy would stand out to much, and we need you two to stay together since you are both newbies." She ordered.

Seeing that both Ladybug and Chat Noir were both going to protest, Beast Boy cut in.

"Oh come on, wouldn't a little romantic train ride be fun?"

Both French heroes spluttered into silence, ladybug blushing, and chat suddenly not finding a reason to protest.

"Oh. Are you guys a thing?" Batgirl asked innocently.

Caught off guard by the question, Chat defaulted to jokester-mode.

"Un-fur-tunately, I can't answ-purr that question. " He added with a wink. "It's classified. Super secret, super hero-y , super stuff."

Un-purr-terbed, Batgirl continued to press for more information.

"So then, what is she?"

"Huh?"  
"Ladybug; What is she to you?" Batgirl asked flatly.

Once again caught off guard, and this time without any cat puns, Chat took a second to respond.

"She- She's my-"

"-ALRIGHTY LET'S GO!" Ladybug jumped back into the conversation, pulling Chat Noir towards the train station.

…

Beast Boy and Batgirl waited outside the semi-abandoned bathrooms, fingers crossed. With any luck, Marinette and Adrien would get over themselves and change into their civies. Then, once they realized their partner's identity, everything issue would magically resolve itself.

Chat exited the men's room wearing his civies… and a huge fake mustache and baseball cap.

"Dude! Where did that sweet mustache come from?"

"I did what was necessary to protect my identity, no thanks to you!" The french teen passionately mumbled from behind the fake facial hair as Beast boy fought to hide a snicker.

Meanwhile, Ladybug exited the woman's bathroom wearing a beanie and huge sunglasses that covered half her face.

Batgirl sighed dejectedly. These french idiots were determined to hide their identities from each other at all costs. It seemed she and Beast Boy would have to take things a step further.

"You two," she said, addressing Chat and Ladybug, "Will be posing as a couple while traveling to Central City."

"What? Is that really necessary to the mission?" Ladybug demanded, fumbling with the sunglasses

"I don't know, M'lady, sounds kinda fun!" Chat said with a wink, getting into the spirit of things.

 **A/N I am so sorry. I know that I didn't post a single chapter this summer. Or this fall. Or even this holiday season.**

 **I would try to make up some excuse, like I am a super busy, or have been struggling with that villainous, undefeatable force, writer's block, but that would just be a lie.**

 **To be honest, I am just kinda lazy. Also, I got sucked into anime. (Even more so than I already was when I started writing this story)**

 **ANYHOW, just know, dearest readers, that this story is NOT ABANDONED. I am determined to finish this before the summer of 2018.  
Hopefully, There will be around TWO MORE CHAPTERS before this story is finally COMPLETE!**

 **Also, it is my friend's birthday today…**

 **So HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You're the reason I'm still writing this.**


	16. Is The End Near?

Chat didn't like feeling powerless, especially in a train full of strangers. It's not like he wasn't used to the feeling; his dad was a bit of a control freak. Simply put, "Chat Noir" was a sort of freedom for Adrien. An escape from the dullness of everyday life, as well as a way to secretly rebel against his harsh and over-bearing father.

So when Chat was stripped of his costume and told to "monitor" the situation by riding in one of the passenger cars with Ladybug (or something like that) he was not a happy about it. To make things worse, Ladybug was in the same boat- er, train- he was. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat (it was actually a very nice train), he stiffly glanced over at Ladybug.

She was sitting next to him with her head buried in a magazine, and Chat could not help but admire her cuteness. She still had her hair pulled back in pony tails, as well as the giant sunglasses and beanie, but she was sporting a white T-shirt and pink cut-offs. Even out of the tight spandex suit, she was hot. Not that Chat spent a lot of time thinking about Ladybug's tight spandex suit, or how hot she was.

...Not at all…

In all actuality, this was the closest he had been to her out of costume- that one time after they fought Mr. Pigeon did not count.

Adrien blushed just thinking about the awkwardness.

Ladybug glanced at him quickly before turning away to watch the countryside fly by outside the train window. The gesture seemed familiar in a way. In fact, everything about Ladybug seemed familiar. Chat wondered if he really did know Ladybug in his real life. He had always heard Alya's theories from her blog that Ladybug went to their school, but he had often written them off as hype. Yet now, as he sat mere inches from her on a train heading who-knows-where, he simply could not shake the familiarity that hung over them like a cloud.

"How you guys holding up?" Batgirl's voice came quietly through the coms located inside Ladybug's and Chat's ears.

Ladybug was the first to reply.

"Nothing suspicious. Just a normal train."

"Keep an eye out. You never know who could be a metahuman these days."

"Got it." Ladybug replied under her breath.

"I'll keep you updated." Batgirl responded.

Unwilling to let the awkward silence resume, Chat tried to strike up conversation with Ladybug.

"So, when we see the metahuman, what are we gonna do?"

Ladybug glanced around stealthily even though nobody else on the train was paying attention, before responding.

"Supposedly, there might be a dealer selling some sort of drug that activates the meta-gene on this train. He could be anybody, but if we can pin the right person, we have to call Batgirl and Beast Boy immediately."

"What, that's hardly any fun!" Chat replied with a goofy grin.

Ladybug's head tilted, and Chat was positive that she was rolling her eyes under the dark glasses.

"That's not the point. We have to make sure nobody gets hurt. "

"So the bat and beast boy will be doing all the work? We've been demoted to back-up?" Chat asked with fake hurt and stroking his fake mustache.

Ladybug giggled, "I can't take you seriously with that thing!"

"Oh please, you're the one with the sunglasses big enough to pull the moon out of orbit." He laughed.

"These are tres chic!" Ladybug replied with a smirk, the ice completely broken.

"Oh, so now you're a student of high-fashion?" Chat teased.

Then, suddenly and without warning, a resounding boom was heard from the train car in front of Ladybug and Chat's. The people in the formerly tranquil passenger car began to mill about anxiously, muttering to each other.

"-adybug!" The coms burst to life loud enough to make Adrien wince.

It was Beast Boy.

"We found the dealer! He injected himself with… Uff!"

"What's happening? Do you need us?" Chat asked, jumping up from his seat and ready to transform.

Ladybug tensed as well, but then Batgirl's voice came through a second later.

"Get….CRASH... over… BAMF... here! "

"On it!" Ladybug replied determinedly. "Chat, we need to find somewhere to transform."

After a quick moment of surveying the train car, they reached the same conclusion:

"The bathroom!"

They both raced to the small restroom (it really was a nice train) only to reach it at the same time. Awkward.

"You first, m'lady." Chat muttered.

Another large boom was heard from the front of the train, and one of the passengers screamed in fear.

"No time!" Ladybug sighed in frustration as she pushed Chat into the extremely small bathroom and followed him closely.

Before Chat could fully grasp the awkwardness of both of them being squeezed into a tiny bathroom together, Ladybug yelled, "Tikki, Spots on!" and transformed.

Chat followed suit, and a moment later, the two were racing towards the front of the train towards the sounds of chaos.

…

They arrived at the scene of the fight, which was taking place in the 1st class passenger car. This was a shame, because it really was a very nice train. The passenger car was decked out in blue and green with gold accents. It had comfy recliners and even a fully stocked mini bar. Emphasis on _had._ The mini bar was currently in the process of being demolished as a giant, mutated monster hurled a green gorilla into it.

"Beast Boy!" Chat Noir yelled anxiously, jumping into the fray.  
The mutated man had already made a wreck of the train car, but now he was using the pieces of the plush leather recliners as ammo to throw at Beast Boy. Pulling out his bow staff, Chat bat them aside with considerable force. The mutated monster bellowed, and Chat got his first, good look at it. He (the gender was an assumption at this point) wore the remainders of a white business-looking shirt and black bottoms that were bursting at the seams due to the monster's hulking figure. The hair was long and an unnatural shade of black, as well as the eyes. The skin was tinted gray with bulging veins running through the skin, shifting like snakes under the monster's skin.

All in all, it was not the usual villian for Chat or Ladybug.

The meta seemed to be upset that Chat was interloping, so muscles bulging, he picked up an entire recliner, ready to launch it at Chat and Beast Boy.

Without warning, a batarang flew into the meta's face, blinding him and distracting him long enough for Chat to turn to Beast Boy.

"You alright?" Chat called over his shoulder, not willing to turn his back on the meta.

"Just had the wind knocked out of me." Beast Boy huffed, rising from the rubble.

The smaller, green boy had reverted to his normal form, and looked a little greener than usual, but seemed otherwise uninjured.

Batgirl took the opportunity to take command of the situation.

"We have him cornered, so as long as there are no more on this train, then beast Boy and I can handle him. Ladybug, Chat, make sure the civilians are alright."

The quartet's attention was called back to the meta when the monster pulled a bluish looking syringe out of nowhere, injecting it into his arm. If possible, the meta grew even larger, growling and roaring ominously.

"Go!" Batgirl ordered before pulling a smoke capsule from her belt and throwing it to the floor, momentarily blinding Chat.

He felt a hand- Ladybug's- slip around his as she pulled him out of the 1st class passenger car. Out of the smoke, Ladybug took control.

"Let's get all the people as far away from the fight as we can." She suggested.

So the duo moved through the train, herding people towards the caboose. Despite the fact that Ladybug and Chat Noir were unknown in America, the costumes and "we're with the Justice League" were the only credentials that the two teens needed.

Before long, the two heros had moved all of the passengers and workers to the last car of the train. Although the BANGS and POWS were less audible, the force of the fight reverberated through the train ominously.

The passengers were not completely unharmed either. One man seemed to be suffering from a concussion or head injury of some kind. From his nice suit but disheveled state, Chat assumed he had been riding in the 1st class car when the fight broke out. Another man was bleeding from somewhere on his upper body, but Chat couldn't tell where. The workers on the train bustled about, trying to calm the crowd, but they were woefully unprepared to deal with the aftermath of a meta attack. The car was crowded full of scared people, and the sense of unease was building. Chat supposed that they were lucky that the train hadn't been derailed or crashed yet.

Chat felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down, he saw a tiny 5 year-old girl, tears in her watery brown eyes.

"Umm, are you a superhero?" She asked in a wavering voice.

Smiling reassuringly, Chat knelt down on one knee.

"Yep!" he exclaimed cheerfully, popping the "p."

"Umm then, do you know where my mommy is?"

Chat stuttered, not sure what to say. He hadn't seen her with any specific people earlier. The little girl seemed to sense his uncertainty, and began to bawl profusely.

Then, a pair of red and black arms were sweeping the little girl into an embrace.

"Shhh, Shh, it's O.K." Ladybug whispered. "We'll find you mommy."

Amazingly enough, the little girl calmed down, though the tears still looked like they threatened to spill over.

"O.K." The girl sniffled a bit, and wiped away several tears.

"What's your name?" Ladybug asked.

"Angelica." The girl blushed.

"So pretty!" Ladybug enthused as she handed the little girl off to one of the train workers. "We'll find your mommy, Angelica."

Chat Noir was impressed with her quick thinking and compassion, as well as a little embarrassed at his own inadequacy when it came to handling the girl. It's not like he had much experience with parenting techniques.

Once Ladybug was sure that Angelica was safe with the worker, she turned to Chat Noir. He was surprised by the ferocity in her eyes as she said intensely,

"Let's go catch a metahuman!"

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi guys! I'm not dead. Although, I was a bit quicker in updating this time. Only took me two months, not eight.**

 **Pretty good, no?**

 **For Your Information:**

 **I am not French. However, I watch Miraculous Ladybug in French, so the french spellings and pronunciations tend to stick with me, even into my writing.**

 **I drive all my friends insane with my terrible french accent when I talk about the show!**

 **Anyhow, that is why I use "Chat" instead of "Cat"**

 **"If you are reading this author's note, you probably have no life."**

 **A great man said that.**

 **A great man named my brother.**

 **His name isn't actually "my brother."**

 **His name is a normal name.**

 **"Don't put my name down."**

 **A great man said that once.**

 **"Smart Alec. Put that down. Huh."**

 **Thanks Bro, for your inspiration.**


	17. NO WAY OUT?

Ladybug was wondering how it came to this: death staring her straight in the face. She wasn't quite sure, now that she thought about it. Looking away from her impending doom, she turned back towards her once-trusted yo-yo. It was tangled up hopelessly, unable to be unknotted, but also unable to be broken.

"Traitor." She murmured under her breath.

RAAAWWWWWOOORRR!

The screams of the meta were becoming louder in her ears; she wouldn't be safe for much longer.

She knew what she had to do. Looking at Adrien as he got smaller and smaller in the distance, a pang shot through her chest.

"Adrien," she choked out.

' _No, louder Marinette. He can't hear you.'_ She berated herself mentally.

"ADRIEN! I'M SORRY I NEVER TOLD YOU!"

….15 minutes earlier ….

After leaving the crowded train car full of refugees, Ladybug and Chat Noir headed towards the fight. It had left the 1st class passenger car, in favor of the open air.

Honestly, Ladybug would have liked to enjoy the sunny day and the coastal air- just not from the top of a passenger train moving 70 mph.

The wind whipped through her hair, pulling her signature ponytails out. She struggled to push her now free locks back as she made her way along the top of the train, following the trail of dents, rubble, and scratches. Looking back and shielding her eyes form the wind, she saw Chat, pressed almost flat against the roof, making his way along the train as well.

They reached the fight, and things were not going well for the heroes. Batgirl looked as collected as ever. (How was that possible?) Beast Boy looked even more beat-up (if possible) and the meta human looked even buffer and angrier (also kind of impossible). At some point, he seemed to have ripped a hole in the top of the car and had climbed into the open air, which was why Ladybug was currently standing on top of a train having her hair ruined permanently.

Her only condolence was that Chat was also struggling with his hair, and that was actually a shame because Adrien Agreste's hair was a priceless national treasure.

' _Don't get distracted, Ladybug.'_ She told herself sternly. ' _Batgirl and Beast Boy need help.'_

Reaching the other heroes, Ladybug shouted over the wind,

"How you doing?"

Batgirl grimaced, as she dodged a swing from a fist and replied,

"Not good! Are the civilians safe?"

"Yes!" Ladybug stated.

"That's good, 'cause we got more problems. Mr. Musclehead over here-" She paused to throw an electric batarang from her belt, "Destroyed the navigating system."

"So this train has no driver?" Chat asked.

Beast Boy was currently in his tiger form, and tried to leap at the meta. It had shaken off the electric batarang without a second thought and took the large cat just as easily.

"There is a lot of railroad construction going on in this area, so we have to take care of this meta. Then we can find a way to shut down the train."

Beast Boy, who was currently changing back and forth between a hawk and a anaconda hissed in agreement.

"Yeah, we don't want to go off a cliff!"

"He's joking, right?" Ladybug asked nervously.

Batgirl gave a serious looking bat-scowl before jumping back into the fray.

Chat Noir and Ladybug joined her this time, attempting to subdue the meta-human. While it was not smart enough to reason with, it was intelligent. It could figure out the fighting patterns of two new additions to the brawl easily. Whenever Ladybug's yoyo shot towards him, or Chat Noir's bow staff flew at him, he dodged and confronted a different hero. Batgirl seemed to have an endless supply of gadgets and devices, but they only worked temporarily.

Then things got worse. As she was spinning her yo-yo rapidly to form a shield, Ladybug caught sight of something in the distance. She hadn't been paying attention to the rush of scenery so far; the fight had commanded most of her skill and focus. As she paused however, she saw that the tracks the train was running along looked different. They were rustier, and patchy in places. A sign flashed by, almost too fast to see, but the words imprinted themselves into her memory instantly.

"TRACKS CLOSED"

Soon, more signs were flashing by, all giving various warnings and condemnation of the tracks. The one that scared her the most was this:

"BRIDGE AHEAD. NO X-ING"

With an ominous feeling in her gut, Ladybug decided it was time to pull out the heavy hitters.

"Lucky Charm!" she shouted.

To her shock, the yo-yo produced nothing to help her defeat the monster, only a red and black card, similar to a credit card.

Tucking it away, she flipped and twisted across the battlefield until she saw Batgirl.

"Batgirl!" She shouted over the meta's roars and the force of the wind. "I think there's a bridge coming up!"

Although Ladybug was yelling forcefully, she was almost on the opposite side of the train car, facing off against the meta. Ladybug and Chat had been attacking from behind, on the other side of the train car, so there was no way to get to Batgirl at the moment with the meta blocking her path.

"Chat!" Ladybug changed targets, and used her yo-yo to grab Chat and pull him to her from where he had been about to launch another attack.

"M'lady? What gives?" he shouted in concern over the wind.

"There's a bridge!"

"Mr. Pigeon? Where?"

"NO. A BRIDGE!" Ladybug screamed in exasperation.

She could see the bridge now, and it was in terrible condition. Stretching over an inlet of the coast, it was derelict, and even worse, missing a huge chunk of the center. If she didn't do something soon, the whole train of people would-

' _No, I can't think like that.'_ She stopped herself mid thought. ' _Think of Angelica instead.'_

The scared little girl, brown eyes full of tears provided an extra incentive to keep the civilians safe. Marinette had to find a way to get the monster away from the civilians and stop the train.

Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Or a train.

"HEY! MR. METAHUMAN!" Ladybug shouted, twirling her yo-yo in the air.

She whipped it around the meta's neck, pulling him towards the front of the train.

The monster didn't need any convincing, and wrenching the yo-yo off his neck, followed Ladybug as she backed away, insulting him further.

"You never should have gone into this business! Haven't you heard that drugs aren't cool?!"

The monster roared in confusion, but kept following her. Now, Ladybug was at the very front of the train, and the monster was still chasing her, swinging his arms angrily and throwing pieces of rubble.

"Ladybug! What are you doing?" Beast Boy yelled from a train car away.

"She's going to be cornered!" Batgirl, ever the tactician, screeched.

"It's alright!" Ladybug said loudly. "I have a plan! Stay where you are!"

Ladybug nimbly darted around the meta to the place where the two train cars were connected so the meta was now the one at the front of the train. Marinette pulled out the lucky charm, recognizing it for what it was now: a key card.

The key card was the type that could be used to unlock electronic things, like doors, or even electronically linked train cars. Many trains today no longer relied on the old fashioned link and pin, but an electronic coupler. These electronic couplers required keys, and some of them even used cards; just like Ladybug's lucky charm.

Marinette smiled in victory. She could use the key card to unlink the train cars, effectively separating the cars with the people- and her friends- from the cars with the engine and the meta.

She was about to unlink the cars when she stopped. If she let the meta on this car, there was a chance he would fall to his death from the bridge.

As monstrous as he was, he used to be a person and didn't deserve to die.

The lucky charm always provided a non-lethal solution to every problem.

Ladybug made a choice, and unlinked the car. The difference in speed was immediate, as the section of train cars with Chat, Batgirl, and Beast Boy, and all of the civilians began to slow. The three heroes rushed forward, no longer assured of their friends safety.

"Ladybug, jump!" Chat called.

To their surprise, Ladybug didn't leap to the safety of the slowing train cars. Instead, she turned back towards the meta, who had been curiously quiet. Or maybe he was planning her untimely death.

Ladybug wasn't sure if the man was still inside of the monster, but she was going to find out.

"If you, whoever you were, can hear me: give me a sign." Ladybug dodged a fist.

"Are you still hearing me? The train is going towards a bridge! It might fall!" She caught a glance of the ancient structure, and it was definitely quite a bit closer.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Ladybug winced as she smacked him across the face with her yo-yo, leaving a purplish bruise that healed instantly.

A green finch flew beside Ladybug, chirping at her. It was Beast Boy.

"Batgirl says to get your, uh, butt off this car! It's headed toward that rickety bridge and you won't survive the fall."

A quick look over her shoulder revealed that Batgirl and Chat were shrinking farther into the distance. Although she felt relief that the train cars with the people would not crash, for the first time, she felt a real pang of fear for herself.

"I have to try to convince him!" Ladybug insisted even though her instincts were telling her to get off the train car.

"I would carry you off, but I'm so injured I can barely keep up with this stupid train!" Beast Boy groaned.

His flight path wobbled a bit, evidence of his statement.

"You better have a plan!" He called.

Ladybug was distracted long enough for the meta to grab her by the ankle and slam her into the top of the train. She left a girl-sized dent in the roof and saw stars blinking through her field of vision. She almost acted on her pain and yo-yoed away, but something stubborn inside of her wouldn't let her give up.

It wasn't what heroes do.

It wasn't what Ladybug would do.

Without warning, her yo-yo was ripped out of her grip, not by the meta, but by a green finch. Beast Boy. He darted about her wrist, tying a knot, and then started flying back towards the other section of train car, carrying the yo-yo and its endless supply of string.

Ladybug, still blinded by pain at this point, felt a jarring sensation, almost as if the quality of the tracks had changed. Instead of rusty metal, it sounded like wood.

The train was racing along a wooden bridge, towards the huge gap. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Beast Boy arrive at the other section of train, and hand the yo-yo off to Chat.

"Wow." Ladybug remarked dazedly.

Her yo-yo really was quite long. She wondered if it was infinite, then regretted the thought.

She didn't want to test those limits today. She tried to move towards the edge of the train car, because at this point, she was willing to let Chat Noir reel her in like some prize Kingfisher if it meant she would survive the day.

RAAAAAAAARRRROOOOWWRRR!

Oh right. The meta.

The monster, seeing her move, lunged and grabbed the line of yo-yo, pulling Ladybug towards him as she scrambled away. He plunged his fist into the top of the train, proceeding to wrap the yo-yo around the steel in the car's frame.

Marinette's heart sank; no there was no way she could save the day now.

If her friends held on to the yo-yo (which they would) they would be pulled off the bridge, along with Ladybug, the meta, and the train car.

The magical device might have been unbreakable and almost infinite, but she was sure it wouldn't overcome gravity.

Ladybug was wondering how it came to this: death staring her straight in the face. Looking away from her impending doom, she turned back towards her once-trusted yo-yo. It was tangled up hopelessly around the train car, unable to be unknotted or broken.

"Traitor." She murmured under her breath.

She wasn't sure if she was madder at the yo-yo or the monster.

RAAAWWWWWOOORRR!

The screams of the meta were becoming louder in her ears; she wouldn't be safe from him for much longer, but that was not her first concern.

The sounds of the ocean were increasing in volume as well, reminding her of her current predicament.

She knew what she had to do. Looking at Adrien, as he got smaller and smaller in the distance, a pang shot through her chest.

"Adrien," she choked out.

' _No, louder Marinette. He can't hear you.'_ She berated herself mentally.

"ADRIEN! I'M SORRY I NEVER TOLD YOU!"

Ladybug knew of only one way to break the yo-yo, and breaking the yo-yo was the only thing that would keep Adrien, safe.

"Tikki-" her voice clogged with emotion.

She couldn't finish the sentence.

However, the Kwami seemed to get message, and the Ladybug suit, and yo-yo dissolved in a blinding array of light right as the train car launched into mid air.

Powerless, Marinette fell.

 **Author's note:**

 **ONE MORE CHAPTER AFTER THIS!**


	18. THE END

_Previously_

 _However, the Kwami seemed to get message, and the Ladybug suit and yo-yo dissolved in a blinding array of light right as the train car launched into mid air._

 _Powerless, Marinette fell._

Chat watched it all happen from a distance. That meta- that thing- foiled his brilliant plan.

Adrien had told Beast Boy that Ladybug wasn't going to listen. He had instructed the green shape-shifter to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe. He had been elated when the small, green boy had brought back Ladybug's yo-yo, promising that the heroine was tied to the other end.

The train cars had slowed enough that the agile hero was able to jump off of it and chase the rest of the speeding train.

A little-known fact about Chat Noir was that he was extremely fast. Not like Flash (or even Kid Flash) fast, but enough that he could barely keep up with the train, especially since it was moving a little bit slower over the rusty tracks. Then, he felt a jerk on the yo-yo, and he saw the meta wrapping the string around the top of the train car. His heart fluttered nervously, and he ran even faster.

He watched helplessly as Ladybug's looked to him desperately. She said something, and although he couldn't hear over the hammering of his own heart, he understood what she was mouthing:

"ADRIEN! I'M SORRY I NEVER TOLD YOU!"

She knew. How long had she known?

Chat's stomach did a flip. He had often fantasized about how he and Ladybug would discover each other's identity. His favorite scenario was where they revealed them through a romantic candlelight dinner. He would tell her all about his mom and how much he missed her. He would tell her how he really felt about her. She would confide in him her deepest secrets too. Life-and-death had never really factored into the equation before.

He gripped the yo-yo harder, knowing it was his only lifeline to Ladybug.

His stomach did a double back tuck when the device dissolved in his hands (his stomach should start doing parkour).

For a second he was afraid he had lost his grip on the yo-yo, but when he glanced at Ladybug again, he saw her without a mask.

Somewhere in the back of his brain, he vaguely registered,

' _Huh. So it's been Marinette all along?'_

However, there was only one thought at the forefront of his mind, and he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I CAN'T LOSE HER TOO!"

Powerless, Marinette fell.

Only to rise seconds later, cradled by a familiar figure.

' _Why is Wonder Woman here?'_ Chat wondered.

The star-spangled hero gently set down Ladybug (Chat couldn't wrap his mind around her being Marinette yet) who was shivering in fear. Chat immediately embraced her, trying to stifle his own shaking nerves. The two remained like that as Batgirl, Beast Boy, and several other justice league members approached them. Standing on the edge of the old wooden bridge, ignoring the heroes that were suddenly coming out of the woodworks, and holding his shivering partner against his chest, all Adrien could think about was how close he had been to losing another person he cared about.

The heroes drew off to the side, seemingly wanting to give the pair their privacy. Finally, it was Ladybug that pulled away first.

"Um, so, uh, hi." She muttered.

Chat noted with amusement that her face was almost as red as her suit. "It's me. Marinette."

"I figured that out. Finally." Chat said with a chuckle.

Ladybug/Marinette looked away, not saying anything.

With a slight frown, Chat asked,

"How long did you know my secret identity?"

"Not very long- wait!" Marinette cut herself off "That's what you're mad about?"

"Well, I'm not mad. Mostly annoyed, 'cause our deal was that I wasn't going to tell you until you told me." Chat pouted.

Marinette started in disbelief, dumb-struck, before asking again.

"Aren't you mad that Ladybug turned out to be, um, me." She said, pointing to herself animatedly, eyebrows raised in disbelief. She began to pace back and forth, listing all the reasons Chat should apparently be angry at her.

"I'm so boring and normal! I'm not rich or famous, and without any powers, I'm just a nobody! Without the suit on I can barely walk without tripping all over myself! Plus, I knew your secret identity for like, a whole week-"

Chat resisted the urge to laugh, wondering how he had missed all the blatant connections between Marinette and Ladybug.

"I already told you, M'lady." he interrupted. " _I'll always care about you... whether or not you wear a mask doesn't change that."_

He pulled her gently back into his arms, and Marinette, while stiff, allowed him to hold her. Although "Marinette" was definitely more insecure than "Ladybug," Chat could already tell that the two parts of her identity were more alike than she thought.

" I still can't believe you thought I be mad. Pfft Like I'd ever get mad at you, Marinette."

The moment he said her name- her true name- he felt her relax. A blossom of hope bloomed inside of his chest. He wouldn't have traded that moment for anything in the world.

Until Beast Boy interrupted with a wolf whistle.

"Whoooooo-wheeee! My man's a real animal with the ladies!" he yelled obnoxiously, as he jogged up to the french heroes.  
Marinette turned away self-consciously, burying her face in Chat's shoulder.

"Is my secret identity completely blown?" She mumbled.

"Don't sweat it. You can trust the league members. By the way, you guys are needed." The green-skinned boy gestured to the group of waiting adult superheros standing a few meters off.

The pair, (Chat wanted to say couple, but he wasn't sure what he and Ladybug were yet) made their way over to the Justice League. Chat was a bit confused to see Wonder Woman, Superman, and even Batman.

"Um, hi?" He asked with uncertainty. "Were you guys here the whole time?"

"We're here because Batgirl called us in as backup." Superman explained. "We got here when things really started to go downhill, so we decided to watch you two and see how you would handle real life-and-death situations."

"I must say, unlinking the train cars to isolate that beast and protect the innocents was a stroke of genius." Wonder Woman praised with a smile on her face.

"Oh no! That meta; I killed him by letting him fall off the bridge." Marinette gasped, a look of shame and disbelief clouding her face.

"Sometimes we have to make hard choices." Batman said gruffly.

"Don't worry." Superman cut in sheepishly. "I saved him before the train car hit the ground. Dropped him off at the nearest meta-human holding facility too."

"You're super fast." Chat said in awe, wishing he could know how fast the Man of Steel could actually fly.

"Welp, fast as a speeding bullet and all that jazz." Superman shrugged, running a hand through his perfect hair.

"So this was all a test? We were never in danger?" Chat continued.

"The danger was real, but we were watching and ready to step in when things turned deadly." Wonder Woman answered.

Marinette sighed, hanging her head and obviously blaming herself for the near miss.

"It's alright." Wonder Woman said, patting Marinette on the shoulder. "All new recruits get the 'overzealous-chaperone' treatment on their first missions too."

"But I failed." Marinette insisted glumly, disappointment marring her delicate features.

Chat felt just as ashamed at their apparent failure. He realized with a bit of a shock that if the Justice League had not been there to save the day, Ladybug- Marinette- could have died.

"On the contrary." Wonder Woman said passionately. "I was impressed with your willingness to risk your life."

"-And your secret identity." Added Batman. "You two have passed the final test. If you are interested, we might be considering the expansion of the Parisian branch of the Justice League soon."

Two sets of jaws dropped as they realized what Batman was offering them.

"I know you're both young," Wonder Woman comforted the shocked french heroes," but you're both well-known public figures, experienced heroes, and most importantly, good people. I look forward to working with you both."

To say Chat was shell-shocked would be an understatement. He had expected to learn from the Justice League, but to be offered a place in their ranks was unbelievable! Excitedly, he turned to Marinette.

"Well Ladybug, what do you say-"

Marinette was not looking at the league members, or even Chat. She was staring at Beast Boy and Batgirl, who had not been included in the conversation.

The two Young Justice members stood a little ways off, watching the group of older heroes wistfully. Then, Marinette's eyes met Adrien's, and he knew their decision without a doubt. Even if it meant he would have to deal with Kid Jerk more frequently.

"Actually, we appreciate the offer, but as long as we're gonna join the League, we will stay with the Young Justice team." Chat Noir announced confidently.

Wonder Woman and Superman had parallel looks of disbelief, but they were drowned out by Beast Boy's excited shout as he rushed over and flung his arms around Marinette and Chat Noir.

"I knew we were bros for life!" He exclaimed dramatically. "I helped you get the girl didn't I? If that's not the true mark of bro-ship then I don't know what is!"

Batgirl, also joining the group, gently elbowed Marinette.

"See, that wasn't too hard." She fake whispered, and Chat had a feeling she was talking about something other than the decision to stay with Young Justice.

So faintly that nobody even noticed, Batman smiled.

 **The End.**

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know what you think, and criticism is always welcome (I laugh at flamers... no really, they're kind of funny to read).**

 ***shameless self-promotion***

 **Anyways, if you liked my story, Please go to my profile and check out some of my other stories!**


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